Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II
by MargaretHobbs
Summary: "These people, they don't get me, and maybe you feel like they get you, I don't know, but when I'm not with you and I'm with one of them, I feel alone."
1. Chapter 1: Advena

PART II! I hope you guys like this. I have never worked so hard on non-academic writing in my life! Again, not really going for scientific accuracy here. Please keep stye reviews coming, like with Part I - they let me know what direction I need to take off into. I love you, my readers!

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**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 1: Advena

Moses Brand Cooper was drifting toward Gargantua, already asleep. As the sleeping gas had slowly drifted in, she thought about the story her parents often recited to her as a child; the version they told before Laura and Jack came along... when it was just the three of them.

_"Mose, you really wanna hear that story again?"_ Cooper asked his three year old daughter.

_"Yep."_ He smiled as they both sat down on the couch, watching as she tried to copy how he was sitting. She had been with him all day, walking through the cornfields that surrounded their house. He might have hated farming on Earth, but just being able to wake up and see the acres and acres of corn made him smile. It also made him smile because he didn't have to do a damn thing to take care of the crops. Now he was getting to see through a child's eyes all over again, but this child wasn't just any child._ "Daddy, it's my favorite."_

_"Of course, you would never be interested in princesses and that stuff, now would you?"_ She looked up at him, silently agreeing. She reminded him so much of Murph that it was almost unreal. Already, Amelia and Cooper knew she was a standout.

_"No, she would not!"_ Amelia said, walking back into the room. _"We're more interested in scientists and astronauts, aren't we Mosie?"_ Amelia had to push back Moses' thick, springy-curly brown hair just to kiss the top of her head.

_"There has to be some implicit bragging in that little statement, Amelia. Brainwashing our kid into becoming a miniature you at 3? I'm shocked."_ Cooper shot Amelia a flirty look, and suddenly their attention was back on Moses. _"Really, you two are clones."_ She looked at their daughter, smiling.

_"We wouldn't have it any other way,"_ Amelia spoke softly as Moses crawled into her lap.

_"Brand, you sit here and help me tell the story. Add your own flair to it." Moses settled in, looking up at both of them._

_"Well, once there was an astronaut all alone in a new place, and she worked very hard to make her new home a great place to live, but she was all alone."_ Cooper gently smiled to himself. They'd told her this story a thousand times, never changing the way they told it. One day she would know the more detailed story, and that's what Cooper was scared of.

_"And there was another astronaut who wanted to find her, because he knew she was alone, and he missed her,"_ Cooper continued, "_so he got on a spaceship to go find her."_ Moses grinned, anticipating the rest of the story.

_"Then one day, he finally found her, and she was so excited! She wasn't alone anymore, so both of the astronauts worked together to make the new place more fun,"_ Amelia finished, looking over at Cooper, who was smirking at her. _"The astronauts loved each other very much, and they decided to be together forever. Finally, after months and months of being alone, hundreds of people came to the new place to have fun with them. Later, they got the best news in the whole universe - they were going to have a baby!"_ Amelia always made sure to look really excited during that part, because Moses knew it was about her. _"Then their baby finally arrived, and they named her..."_

_"Moses!"_ she yelled excitedly. That was the part of the story she always got to say.

_"Yes, her name was Moses, and the mommy, the daddy, and Moses lived happily ever after."_ Amelia held Moses' hand. _"The end!"_

* * *

"Dr. Brand, Captain Cooper, I've waited so long to meet you both." The woman was obviously trying to maintain her cool. Excitement was written all over her face. "I'm Dr. Lynn Hart, I'm the director of NASA."

Cooper had a grin on his face that shone like the stars. "Welcome to our planet, Dr. Hart," he greeted her as he extended his hand. "We've been expecting you." She shook his hand and Amelia felt obligated to hold out her own.

"When we came through the wormhole, we immediately sent out a signal, hoping to let you know that we were on our way. When we received a signal in return, we were thrilled, even though we knew that you two were alive. One of your marines, TARS, has been sending signals out constantly for what has been the last twenty years for us."

Amelia and Cooper turned around to look at TARS. "I figured it was a smart move, even though you all didn't instruct me to do it."

"TARS, you're a genius," Cooper said, tapping him near his screens.

"I'm a robot, Cooper; I'm supposed to be." Amelia turned back to face Chairman Hart.

"We were still receiving the standard signals, but TARS' were a bit more intricate." Amelia was still in some form of shock. The journey here must have been easy for her to be in this kind of mood. "I'm going to tell the rest of the crew to make their way out. We've got a lot of supplies on the way. We're going to make this place a home for all of us." Cooper looked over at Amelia, wondering what was going through her mind. The chairman held her wrist to her mouth. "Tolbert, the lead crew can leave the command lander now. They're ready to meet the rest of us."

* * *

"The stations were designed with the idea that eventually they would be going through the wormhole. Since they do harness gravity, we were able to control _how_ it used gravity; how time flowed, so our clocks have been gradually slowing down to yours for a good chunk of time. They're sturdy." Amelia and Cooper were sitting in a conference room in the very large lander. Amelia was amazed by the technology in the cruiser. "They all followed us in. Even if this planet hadn't been livable for some reason or another, it wouldn't have mattered because we would still have the stations. We were also prepared to send out another team in search of a livable planet."

"I'm assuming I'm not getting arrested for 'borrowing' that ranger, right?" Everyone in the room looked at Cooper and laughed.

"No, Captain Cooper. Once it was discovered that there was a missing ranger, everyone figured it was you before we even looked at the security footage." Chairman Hart glanced around the room. "Captain Cooper, Dr. Brand, this is Dr. Alfonso Tolbert, our head astrophyscisist." Dr. Tolbert waved gently.

"Nice to meet you," Amelia muttered. "I know we are probably relics to you all, but if you could just not mention the year that you all were born, like, ever, that would be great." Cooper looked at her in shock. "What? Sorry... just being honest."

"No, it's quite understandable, Dr. Brand. It must be rough even knowing that 20 years have passed for us Captain Cooper borrowed that ranger, even with our ability to control gravity." Cooper suddenly realized that meant he was 144, Amelia was 138.

"Shit," Cooper quietly exclaimed, "Yeah, I'm with Amelia here; don't tell us what year you were born." As much as it sounded like something to laugh about, everyone there knew that it wasn't a laughing matter at all. "So, what's y'all's plan here?"

Dr. Hart and Dr. Tolbert suddenly smiled, obviously excited. They had been waiting on this their whole lives while Amelia and Cooper had only waited a handful of months. "We've got everything we need to set up dozens of towns or villages. We'll be able to deconstruct some of the buildings from the stations and rebuild them down here. Captain Cooper, your farmhouse is on the list to be brought down. We wanted to ask you if you wanted it back."

Cooper thought about it as he watched Amelia. "It should be kept as it is so people can go and see it. A shrine to her," he replied, "Bring it here, of course, but that's not my house anymore, Dr. Tolbert." Amelia weakly smiled, running a thumb over his knuckles.

"It's okay," Amelia silently mouthed. Cooper shook his head 'no'.

Cooper couldn't live in that house again - he'd picture Murph and Tom running through the halls, his vivid imagination putting them there right before his eyes. "I'll have to pass."

"We're just so happy to have you two. You've done amazing work. You discovered this place," Dr. Tolbert said. Amelia hated the idea that all of this was thanks to her and Cooper. It infuriated her - were the other lives useless?

"No, Wolf Edmunds discovered this planet, we just followed and started the work back up where he stopped." This was emotionally draining on Amelia, more so than she imagined it would be, and here Cooper was, handling it like this was what he did daily. "Thank him. Thank Murphy."

Cooper was becoming increasingly concerned about Amelia. She was handling this a lot worse than he thought she would. "Well, I think we're done here for right now, and it appears to be the early morning here. We'll see you again a little after sunrise, or whenever you decide to come join us - more people will be here by then." They both nodded as Dr. Hart led them out of the lander.

"You two have no idea what you've done for us. We will do anything you all want us to. This was your home first, still is your home, and that's how everyone will know it." This Dr. Hart sure was enthusiastic, and appeared way too much like a cheerleader for Amelia's taste.

"Well, Dr. Hart, thank you for bringing everyone on out here," Cooper replied, putting a hand on Amelia's shoulder.

Cooper and Amelia started toward the unit. "I understand how you two could be in shock. I know that this might be difficult, but we're going to make it as easy of a transition on you all as possible."

"We appreciate that, Dr. Hart. We'll see ya in the morning." They were silent on the walk back to the unit. Cooper held up his hand to the screen, Amelia walking in first. "Are you okay?"

Amelia stopped, leaning against the wall. "I really don't know. It's all happening kind of fast, and I thought about this moment but never prepared for it. I thought I would be thrilled, like, jumping over the moon or whatever kind of thrilled." The door closed and they walked further into the unit. "I mean, we are relics, you know? And we are probably going to be surrounded by people for months, maybe years, asking us questions." She sunk into a chair in the common room. "A bonus to this mess is that we might could get more comfortable furniture out of it." Cooper chuckled, sitting down across from her.

"If you don't want questions, I will see to it that they don't ask, but Amelia, they're looking to us for answers, you know that." Amelia looked him square in the eye.

"I'm not special here, Cooper. I got here on a wing and a prayer, you... you're the one with the answers." She rubbed her eyes, sleepy yet so emotionally jolted that she wasn't sure if she'd ever sleep again. "You got me here, you survived a black hole, you came back out here on your own. I'm just the one with the microscope."

"Me? It might have taken me a lot to get here, but it took you a lot, too. I mean, hell, you were here by yourself for a while." She nodded, leaning back into the chair. Cooper suddenly started to realize some of the stress she was experiencing. "What are you scared of?"

"What am I scared of? What do you mean?" She was confused. She wasn't scared, or at least she didn't think she was.

"What is it about this place being colonized scares you?" Cooper waited for her reply, knowing that this was a tough question to answer. "Is it okay for me to ask these things?"

"Yes." She frowned and her brows furrowed. "I'm scared that this is going to mess up this thing we have going on, you and me. Before you laugh and say you'd never, ever cheat, I know that. Don't you think I know that? That's just stupid to even think about. I mean that we're moving back to a normal - or what we used to call normal - way of life; that's what I'm scared of. It's not going to be just us ever again. I thought that's what I wanted, to be surrounded again, but maybe I don't."

"You must really love me to be willing to live here all alone with me and a couple chunks of metal for the rest of your life," Cooper replied, trying to find a way to reassure her that everything would turn out for the best. "But you'll never have to kick off Plan B, and you were just about to start up two eggs. You don't have to worry about not being able to research this whole planet. We might even get to go to different places here." Amelia tried to follow along. "I hear Disney World is just on the other side."

Amelia laughed as Cooper smiled. "Okay, but on one condition." She got up from the chair and knocked on the wall. "If they're going to build new buildings and bring down other ones, we get the hell out of this unit."

Cooper walked over toward her and lightly scratched her arm. "You got it."

* * *

Amelia and Cooper must have met 75 people the next day - biologists, physicists, physicians, lawyers, chemists, geologists; all of NASA's best. Amelia's cheeks had never been so sore in all her life.

"Families will be staying on the stations until their houses are reconstructed here, which should honestly take two days per house tops. We've got hundreds of people taking care of it, and we're averaging that twenty houses will be up each day." Dr. Tolbert exclaimed. "We're even going to have an office building built here for us within the week. We told you two we were going to make this place home."

Dr. Hart came walking over with a huge smile plastered on her face. "Did you tell them the other news?"

Dr. Tolbert perked up and began to speak again. "You all won't be in that unit anymore." Amelia laughed out loud, looking at Cooper.

"Is everything okay, Dr. Brand?" Cooper told them that it in fact was.

"Did you tell them?" she asked Cooper, still laughing.

"No." He faced Tolbert and Hart. "Just kinda funny, 'cause she said last night that if you all were going to be building things here, she wanted out of the unit."

"You'll be in an executive apartments until you decide what's next," Dr. Tolbert explained. "And by what's next, I mean if you want to continue on with NASA. You have our blessing if you decide not to, and I'm sure you both will get a very, very generous severance packages because, well, you're Cooper and Brand, and more than a little famous at NASA, and you've done most of the ground work."

Cooper and Amelia looked at each other, asking a question silently. _You wanna stay on board with NASA? Keep on doing what we're doing?_

_"W_e're gonna have to take a little time before deciding about staying on with NASA or not, but I think we'll only need one apartment," Amelia explained, trying desperately to not sound like an idiot. Tolbert and Hart both nodded.

"We were wondering about that," Tolbert replied with a smile. "Good to know."

"We'll be having a meeting in the new building in a week and a few days time, we'll keep you updated on details, but if you're ready to leave the unit now, we can have that arranged," Dr. Hart replied. "We want to get physicals on you both first."

* * *

"As grateful as I am about leaving the unit, this doesn't feel right for us, to me at least." Amelia wondered what Cooper meant by that. "The furniture is much nicer, though, I'll give ya that." She knew he was referencing her little joke from the day before.

"What do you mean?" she questioned. She was comfortably curled up against him, more at ease than she had been in years.

"I mean, there are all these people that could just come knocking on our door and I feel like this place is meant for some kind of city. Even when cities still existed on Earth, they were not my thing." He knew that she was rolling her eyes even though he couldn't see her. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm beyond appreciative to be out of that unit, but they did say that we could have whatever we wanted once we made a decision. If we stay on, they put us in something somewhere that they want us, and if we leave and take the severance package, we build wherever we want."

"And who knows where they want us? Do they want us exploring again or do they want us here, you know? They might want us in offices, even." Cooper huffed pulling Amelia to turn around.

"I sure hope not. I need my freedom, woman!" Amelia kissed him hard, trying to suppress a smile. She pulled away looking at a very disgruntled Cooper.

"Tell them, then," she paused, smirking, "tell them that you want to keep being an explorer. Or you could tell them that you're really at your best when you're um... with me." Cooper laughed and pulled her back down to him.

"I might just do that," Cooper said before he kissed Amelia again.

* * *

"Dr. Brand, Captain Cooper, NASA is thrilled that you're still interested in working with us. Everyone on the board understands why you might not be." Dr. Hart was a short woman, but powerful, nonetheless. "We've got an idea that we want to propose to the two of you." She walked beside Amelia, Cooper behind them. "You both have already done so much."

"It was necessary, but enjoyable," Cooper explained, "and we really can't take all of the credit, like Amelia said the other day. Murph did was was necessary, Wolf Edmunds did what was necessary, and without their sacrifices, we wouldn't be standing here together."

"And honestly, I don't know that I'd be able to handle a life without work. I need to work for my sanity, and Coop needs to explore." Chairman Hart sheepishly smiled.

"That's exactly what we wanted to hear."

* * *

Amelia smiled at the idea, Cooper seemed a bit more shocked than she would have imagined.

"Lemme get this straight," Cooper said, holding a finger up as if to ask for a moment, "you want us to go out on our own _again_?" Dr. Hart nodded, and the officials around her did, as well. "No one with us?" Cooper was excited at the idea - not of total isolation, but not having to be surrounded by these people that he had little in common with.

"Now the difference this time is that you will have direct communication with headquarters, any supplies that you request for will be delivered almost immediately, and we'll have a team out there once every ten days to collect your physical data to bring back to the lab." There was something about the name Tolbert that seemed familiar to Amelia, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"I know that last name, Tolbert. Tolbert, Tolbert, Tolbert; but from where?" Tolbert frowned before opening his mouth.

"My great-grandfather worked on Earth at NASA when you were there." Amelia shook her head slowly, immediately trying to push that fact out of her mind.

"Anytime you have an emergency of any kind, someone will be on site within fifteen minutes," Dr. Hart stated, noticing the awkward silence.

"It sounds amazing, but why would you want to send us out there again, not that I mind, I don't know about Cooper, but-" she stopped, looking over at him.

"I don't," Cooper replied, "Kind of relieved, not gonna lie."

"Understandable, and who better to discover other areas of this planet than the two of you? You've done it before, and none of us have the experience. We've only really ever known life on the stations. This is the first time in a very long time that any of us have ever been on actual ground, and the first time to ever be on rock for so many of the people who will be joining us." Amelia and Cooper looked at each other, happy at the idea that they might be getting to be pioneers once again, but saddened at the reality of their age. "We've sent out a team to look for a suitable area for you two to research. We're hoping for some type of coastal area or farmland, and best case scenario, both."

Cooper laughed out loud. "You're kidding?" Dr. Hart nodded to another woman.

"Captain Cooper, Dr. Brand, this is our head geologist, Dr. Alma Hernandez. I believe you both met her the other day." Cooper and Amelia both looked in her direction.

"Yes, Captain Cooper, farmland. We know we're not going to find that combination in a very tropical climate, but subtropical, which is what we're hoping for, we can have the best of both worlds." Cooper chuckled again.

"Never thought y'all'd ever have me back on a farm, that's for damn sure." Amelia suppressed a laugh as Cooper eyed her. "What's so funny?"

"We know how much you loved farming, sir," said Dr. Tolbert. "It's in all of the history books."

"Oh yeah, loved it." He thought of Murph and Tom, and he smiled. "I'll do the farming bit, but you gotta get robots to do most of the physical labor with that. Robots did most of the big stuff back home, too. I'll oversee the harvest, but something tells me you all have the technology that won't make me get my hands too dirty, not that I'm scared of a mess, just," he paused, trying to find the words that would make him sound less like an asshole. "I don't think you want me to actually farm anymore."

"We definitely have the technology for that, Captain Cooper," said Dr. Hernandez. "Overseeing it would be the greatest help we could get here, and you, Dr. Brand, we need you to monitor the growth process of the crops, and we would like for you all to examine any animal life that you possibly could - land and water."

"Thus why we want you on a coastal, subtropical piece of land," Dr. Tolbert explained as he rose from his chair. "We're interested to know what fish are in those oceans just along the shore. We don't want to go deep sea diving yet. While we have the books on how it was done 200 years ago, no one alive except for you two has ever done it. We want to do some simulation training first." Amelia put her elbows on the table.

"I can do that. I haven't dealt with marine life since college. I specialized in genetics for obvious reasons, but Cooper and myself are apparently the only two people who have ever been in an ocean," Amelia stated as she shook her head. "It's just so hard to believe. I mean, I believe you, but you know what I'm getting at."

"We know, Dr. Brand." Dr. Hart patted Amelia on the back. "We want you two to have a week to think on it. If you decide before then, that's fine, too."

* * *

"Amelia, we just got to see other human beings for the first time in eons just three weeks ago, and you want to go run off to be alone again? You are obsoletely sure?" Cooper unlocked the door to the apartment, both of them quickly walking in.

"Cooper, these people don't get us," she stated, grasping his shoulders, "you've said it yourself. They haven't seen the things we have and honestly, the way they keep looking at us as if we're gods really freaks me out. No one is going to look at us like that out there because it's just going to be us." He walked away from her, tossing the keys onto the couch. "Can you handle us being by ourselves again, Cooper? If you can't, I understand."

He turned back around, watching her. It was different not seeing her in some uniform; she looked nice in this look - a simple white blouse and fitted black pants. She even had on heels. He hadn't seen a woman wear heels in a long time. Maybe she missed wearing things like that. He looked at himself, in a muted blue t-shirt with a pocket and jeans, just like he wore back home. "I could handle it just being us again, I could." Amelia weakly smiled and walked over to him.

"Be honest with me, because I'm being honest with you. These people, they don't get me, and maybe you feel like they get you, I don't know, but when I'm not with you, and I'm with one of them, I feel alone. Maybe that's because I'm used to it just being us, but I know that I'm always going to feel alone around them, because there is no way that any of them will ever understand me. You understand me because you've fought this fight with me. They haven't fought by our side, and there's no way they ever could have." Cooper could tell she was being honest with him - she wanted this. "And like they said, anything we need, they'll bring it to us. Someone will be there every ten days to collect the research, and in an emergency they'd be there in no time. It'll be like living out in the country, really." Cooper smirked, realizing that not only did she want this, but she was excited about it.

"You are absolutely sure that you want this? That you could handle this, this bein' by ourselves thing all over again?" Still in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I want this. I 'll leave tomorrow if that's what it takes," Amelia replied, holding him tighter. Cooper's eyes shot open as a thought came to his mind.

"On one condition," he said, walking away once more, finding a paper and pen.

"What?" He smiled as he sat down, beginning to write.

"You'll see."


	2. Chapter 2: Ira

Thank you for everyone who reviewed Chapter 1! Also, to the reader who wanted a conflict, you suggested that at just the right time! ;) I was already working on it.

Keep reviewing, lovelies! xoxo Hope you enjoy it!

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**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 2: Ira

"We'll do this, but we've got some requests, Dr. Hart," Cooper said as he sat down at the table next to her, "or rather, I have some requests."

"Cooper, we will accommodate them the best that we can," Dr. Hart replied. Cooper was trying to figure up the small list in his head.

"A house - nothing big. I guess kinda like the one I had." Hart clicked her pen and smiled, blinking.

"We hadn't planned on putting you in another unit, don't worry," she stated as she turned toward him. "We certainly did not expect you to want anything similar to what you had, though, that's for sure."

"Well, no replica, but something similar, yeah." Cooper thought for a moment before speaking again. "But if it is okay with you all, I'd like to keep the unit on the property, for the personal value of it."

"Sure, Captain Cooper, no problem," Hart finished, getting up to walk away, "so I guess that means you'll go out there for us?"

Cooper smiled to himself, thinking about it - them being alone again. It probably wouldn't be that different to his situation back on Earth. "Yeah, we'll do it."

* * *

"I can't believe that they still even make those things!" Amelia, already in her pajamas, exclaimed upon seeing Cooper's brown jacket.

"What, you don't like it?" Cooper replied as he sat down next to Amelia on the couch, putting an arm around her.

"No, I like it, I'm just shocked that these things still exist, that's all." She crossed her arms as she leaned into him. "I might need one if I'm going to be outside a lot. Before I got here, I wasn't really used to ever being outside."

Cooper felt sorry for her in one way, but glad in another. She had never really had to breath that dust, and for that he was grateful. "What do you think you're gonna be doin' out there, Amelia?" Cooper questioned jokingly. Amelia heard his tone and elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

"I was going to help you, but if you think that's so silly, I'll just-" Cooper stopped her.

"I don't think it's silly, really, I don't." She nodded and continued.

"I'll have to research more animal life, obviously, monitor the crop growth, but while I'm not doing that, I want to learn about what you did back on Earth." He liked that, that she was interested in something he did, even if it wasn't his favorite thing to do, but Cooper was pretty sure that he was okay with not getting in another ranger for a while.

"We'll have a little bit more time now, time not to worry. That'll be nice," he said as he watched her close her eyes, humming some tune he thought he recognized.

"Uh huh," she replied softly, putting her feet up on the coffee table in front of them. "It will be." She was going to have to take up a hobby, like knitting. _No, I'm not that crafty. Why in the hell would I even think about knitting?_ "Have you been writing lately?"

"I have. I've been writing while you've been explaining your findings to Dr. Hernandez these past 9 days." Amelia still was not about to ask him to let her read it. She uncrossed her arms and held his hand, dangling off her shoulder.

"You've lived this life Cooper, and I'm just, I don't know..." Amelia couldn't find the words to complete her thought. "It's not too much, is it? You do want this, right?"

"Yes I do. Do you?" She nodded before yawning. "Good. And you've got nothing to worry about. You'll be fine. Even though robots'll be doing all the work, I'll have to monitor it. I'll teach you the ropes, don't worry." Amelia smiled at that.

"You'd make a good teacher, Cooper. Like a professor or something." He chuckled, thinking about teaching. Him?

"I don't know about that. You think?" Amelia thought he could be a teacher; that was a compliment.

"I should know, I did grow up with one."

_I knew a Dr. Brand once. He was a professor. _

_What makes you think I'm not?_

_Wasn't nearly as cute either. _

"Well I guess you did, didn't you?" He still admired that man - even after the lie that took him away from his children. He'd known that the bigger picture was what was most important, and had it not been for leaving, Murph would have never had that data that saved the world. "That's quite a compliment, Amelia."

"It's the truth." He could tell she was exhausted - she had been reporting data to the main lab all day and it was late.

"Come on, you're tired," Cooper said as he got up and tried to lift her up.

"Do not treat me like a child, Cooper," she exclaimed as he picked her up in his arms, and she didn't seem to complain. She was light.

"I'm not, just trying to be a good manfriend or whatever my role in this relationship is." Amelia laughed as he carried her into their room.

"Manfriend?" Cooper laughed as well as he sat her down on the bed.

"I'm a little old to be a 'boyfriend', aren't I? Even aside from the years that have passed for these people - I still have the 40 year old body that I did when we left. Well, maybe 41 now." Amelia smiled, reminding herself that that meant she was still only 34 or 35 biologically. Cooper walked into the closet and changed out of his clothes and into flannel pajama pants.

"I just like to think that we're together, you know? And you're a whole lot more to me than just a friend, obviously." She pulled the covers back and over her, watching him walk toward the light switch. She loved looking at him when he wasn't aware of it. _He's kind of perfect. _

"We'll come up with terms eventually, I suppose," Cooper replied as he turned off the light. He got in next to her and she turned onto her stomach, draping an arm over him as usual. "No rush."

"But you are a good manfriend, Cooper." He smiled as he heard her giggle.

"I try."

She yawned again before closing her eyes. "Night, Cooper. I love you."

Those words sounded like velvet to him every time he heard them. "Love you, too, Amelia."

* * *

"Good morning," Cooper heard as he woke up.

"Mornin'," he yawned back, looking at the clock. "Shit, it's late!"

"You slept an hour more than usual, calm down," Amelia replied, sitting down on the bed beside him, dressed for the day. Grey athletic leggings and a black long sleeve t-shirt - a typical Amelia outfit these days. "You have no where to be right now, anyway."

He nodded as he sat up, getting eye level with her. "That just feels great, not having to do anything or be anywhere. Not all the time, but occasionally I like it." Amelia half-smiled at him. "Do you have anywhere to be?"

"Nope, you're stuck with me, I guess," she said softly, running her fingers up and down his left arm.

"I'm fine with that." Cooper noticed that she'd parted her hair on the opposite side that she normally did.

"Good," Amelia whispered. "Me, too." She kissed his shoulder lightly before getting up from the bed. "When you want breakfast or whatever, just let me know."

Cooper stretched and got up from the bed. "I didn't know you were so domestic, Amelia." He watched as she blushed, leaning up against the doorframe.

"I hardly think you can start calling me a domestic, Cooper. Just trying to be a good womanfriend." Cooper smiled as she left the room.

"Well, okay then, I'll let you know."

* * *

Amelia was leaning up against the kitchen island and heard Cooper's footsteps nearing - the noise broke her attention away from the book she was reading on her tablet.

"You warmed up the bathroom for me this morning. It was still steamy when I got in there to shower. That's the best way to wake up." She put the tablet down and looked over at Cooper as he hopped up onto the countertop.

"I'll keep that in mind." She just wanted to look at him all she could. "You look cute today."

Cooper smiled, biting his bottom lip. "I don't look cute all the time?"

Amelia chuckled and walked toward him, standing between his legs. "Of course you do."

"Damn right I look cute!" He kissed her quick before pulling away.

"Oh, cocky charmer strikes again," Amelia whispered, kissing him once more. Cooper pulled her to him.

"Is that an insult or an invitation?" She laughed lightly before replying.

"Maybe a bit of both," Amelia admitted as Cooper left the counter top and started kissing her, attempting to pull her down to the floor. "In the kitchen?! Really?!"

"Why the hell not? Live a little." She quickly decided to go along with it as soon as she reached the floor. "Think outside the box, Dr. Brand."

There was something about how he called her that - Dr. Brand - that sounded both funny and sexy all at once. That was a good way of describing him, too, she supposed.

They were suddenly stripping each other quickly - so quick that she didn't even remember her shirt going over her head. "Did you just unsnap my bra with one hand?"

"I did," he replied, trying not to laugh. Amelia was grinning in amusement. "What?"

"I bet you pulled that trick on all of your little stargazing adventures, didn't you?" They both finally laughed as he nodded. "Uh-huh. You did, didn't you?"

"What can I say? I'm talented to say the least," he replied as their lips met again. Amelia could tell that her hair was going to look terrible the rest of the day, but it was completely worth it.

"You are on a roll today, aren't you?" He winked at her before going to her neck. She suddenly realized how cold the marble-like floor was against her bare body.

"What are you doing?" Cooper asked as she pushed him away, his back against the cabinets.

"I'm thinking outside the box, Captain Cooper." She started kissing him again before hearing a knock at the door. "Jesus Christ," Amelia huffed, closing her eyes and shaking her head in disappointment. "Maybe if we ignore it, they'll go away." It was only 8:45 in the morning, what could anyone need with them this early? The knocking started again, this time louder. "Shit." Amelia kissed him gently before getting up and walking quickly toward their room.

"What happened to ignoring them?" She didn't respond as she grabbed her robe and quickly threw it on.

"We'll finish this later, I promise," she said as she walked toward the door, the knocks still thudding. Amelia threw open the door, trying hard not to convey her annoyance.

"Good morning, Dr. Brand." Dr. Tolbert stood in front of her with two huge yellow envelopes. "These are yours and Captain Cooper's contracts for the upcoming mission. Legal says that if you have any questions to let them know. No rush." He handed her the two heavy envelopes before moving away from the door slightly.

"Thank you, Dr. Tolbert. We'll let them know if we have any questions." He nodded and walked away, and Amelia quickly shut the door.

Cooper laughed to himself as he heard the huge thud of the envelopes hitting the floor. Amelia walked back into the kitchen and threw her robe off, completely naked again. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"I told you I'd finish this later." She quickly got back down onto the floor and smirked as her lips descended upon his again.

* * *

"These contracts really confuse me," Amelia said. They were both sitting at the kitchen table reading over them. "CASE or TARS, if I read you bits and pieces of this, could either of you simplify it for me? I'm not an idiot, but they write these things just in a way to confuse you."

"TARS or I would be happy to help." Amelia smiled back at CASE before lowering her head again.

"They want to make sure we don't sue them. I'm pretty sure they own everything, so suing them would be pretty damn difficult," Cooper stated, flipping through the pages. "This morning was enough evidence that we're making a good decision, in my opinion."

"Oh, yes. I agree," Amelia replied, running a hand through her hair. "The fact that they put them on paper for us is impressive, too. I wouldn't feel comfortable signing something important on a screen. How far in are you?"

Cooper flipped through the pages. "Halfway. Why?"

"Because if everything looks okay to you, I'll just go ahead and sign." Cooper chuckled from across the table.

"Your contract is probably a little different than mine, if I'm to guess." She shook her head.

"Dad always looked at things like this for me." Amelia put her head down on the stack. "I'm going to make some coffee if you want any," she said as she got up.

"Actually, yes, if you don't mind." Cooper focused back on the contract before speaking again. "Amelia, you're smarter than that, you know. You're not just math and science or whatever."

"No, I get the language of it, but it all seems like a huge blur if I read it at my usual speed, and name one thing that you have witnessed me working at that doesn't involve science." Cooper thought about it for a second.

"Stitching me up." He heard two mugs clang together.

"Medical science. Try again." She began to pour water into the side of the coffee machine. "Cream or sugar?"

"No, black." Cooper started thinking of things that she did that didn't involve science. "Your survival instinct?"

"Psychology, also known as a science," she replied as the coffee started dripping into the pot.

"Well if that's the case, isn't everything science? You could argue that drawing is a science because of the relationship between your reflexes, your sense of sight, and just the general use of your brain." She lightly laughed as she poured the coffee into a mug, walking it over to him.

"Maybe you're right, but I'm not the most creative person." Cooper took the mug from her. "Although I guess reading that book this morning wasn't science related in most ways."

"Thank you," he said as he put the mug on the table. "You just told me that you were thinking outside of the box this morning." She swatted him gently in the head, and he smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Do you want to talk about the science of that, too? I am a biologist, and I specialized in human genetics, I could go into great, great detail." She walked back to the kitchen and poured creamer and sugar into her mug before pouring the coffee over it.

"If that's what you want to talk about, then by all means." She walked back to the table and sat down.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." He noticed that her hair was almost to then length that she could pull back into a little ponytail. He liked the shorter hair, but he liked this, too.

"I'm not going to read through it and tell you to sign, but we can talk about anything you have questions on and I'll explain it to you in a way you can understand," he explained, dragging out the last words to make sure that she knew it was a joke.

"What do you think about the couch?" He looked up at her to see a smile plastered on her lips.

"I'll take that as a no." She giggled and reached across the table, grabbing his hand.

"Of course I'll take your help, Cooper."

* * *

Neither Cooper or Amelia could sleep - in the dark, they sat up in the bed talking.

"You wanna watch TV or something?" She handed him the tiny remote. "Hard to believe that they've made these things thinner and more high-def than what we had, isn't it?" The TV came on, playing some news channel. A man and a woman both sat at the news desk, talking about the progress of the day. "I think this is a rerun from earlier. It's too late for the news, unless that's something that's in now."

_"And in other news, Captain Joseph Coop-"_ Cooper turned off the television quickly.

"I don't wanna hear my name on that thing." Amelia understood that, because she didn't want to be mentioned either.

"What have you even done today besides being here with me?" He shook his head, not knowing what could be so interesting about him at the moment.

"In other news, Captain Joseph Cooper and Dr. Amelia Brand signed some contracts," he mimicked. Amelia huffed, putting a hand to her face.

"Jeez," she whispered. "If that's news, I'd hate to know what a breaking story is." Cooper got up from the bed and looked out the window at their little, tiny moon. For something to be so small, it sure was bright outside for night time. Even in their stargazing sessions, he'd never even taken the time to really examine the moon, though he had wanted to, he'd just always been a little _distracted. _

"You know how lucky we are, Amelia?" She stayed in the bed, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Yes," she replied, their eyes locking as he turned around. She knew he couldn't see her, but the moon's light was so bright, shining on him, that she saw Cooper clearly.

"This place is really somethin'." He looked up into the sky again, realizing that now with all of the lights NASA had put up, between the office buildings, houses, and any other kind of light, the stars didn't shine as brightly anymore._ I wish you guys could've been here to see this place,_ he thought to himself, referring to Murph and Tom. He half-smiled as he walked back to the bed. "Amelia?"

"Yes?" He closed his eyes and turned onto his side before opening them again.

"Thank you for being here with me." She chuckled lightly before touching his shoulder, letting her hand linger.

"You came to find me, remember? Thank you for being here with me." Cooper thought about how boring his life would be, even now, if they weren't together - even if they were still just co-workers of sorts.

"But you didn't have to be with me. You chose that." He felt her hand leave his shoulder and go to his cheek, her thumb running over his minor stubble.

"Did you not choose me, or something?" She chuckled again, enjoying the feeling of his face against her hand in such a sweet way.

"Well, yeah." He thought about leaving the station to find her, that longing to see her again. "I do love you, I guess."

"I love you, too."

_Love isn't something we invented.  
It's observable, powerful, it has to mean something...  
Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space._

* * *

Cooper held the platinum ring in his hand before putting it in a little box to stow away. _Packing is difficult_, he decided.

"This is what you call fun, Brand?" he shouted out of his old bedroom. He heard her footsteps approaching.

"Huh?" She put a box down next to his doorframe.

"You're so type-A that you must get high off of stuff like this," Cooper stated, watching Amelia squint and smile in that mean way. "Whoa, okay."

"It's just one less thing we have to worry about once we get assigned a location," she replied, walking into his room and beginning to help him pack.

"And then we'll unpack it all again." She smiled to herself.

"I think that's what moving is, Cooper." She felt something soft hit her in the back of the head: a wadded-up pair of socks. "I felt that."

"Meant for ya to," he replied trying not to laugh.

"Isn't this just weird, how normal this is? I don't know what normal is anymore." Amelia's current version of normal was anything that seemed remotely like human nature, not forced. Cooper's current version of normal was anything that didn't make him over-think. "I can't believe you're making them put the unit wherever they stick us. We're not even going to use it. It'll just sit there."

"Nonsense, that's where TARS and CASE are going to live." TARS leaned into the room.

"I can unlock a door, Cooper. You'll wake up and I'll be right there." Amelia smiled as she folded up t-shirts that Cooper had just stuffed into drawers. She shook her head in frustration.

"That's not creepy at all," Cooper responded. "Amelia, you got that mini-toolkit anywhere close? I might need to do some reprogramming..."

"Okay, bye," TARS said as he backed away.

"I wouldn't reprogram him for anything," he said as she turned around.

"When you were putting away clean clothes, did you just throw them in these drawers or did you actually think you were folding them?" He smirked and took a shirt from her.

"How would you prefer than I fold them? Really, show me," he said as he handed her back the shirt. She put the front down on the bed and demonstrated her technique for him.

"I get why you never let me touch your laundry now. You didn't want me coming in here." He smiled and she put the shirt in another box. "Well, that's a lie, just in the dark."

"You weren't digging through my cabinets then, were ya?" She didn't respond as she folded another shirt. "Would you be offended if I told you I thought this suited you?"

"Yes." He chuckled and pulled her to him.

"Nice leggings there, Brand," Cooper whispered into her ear. She giggled lightly. "Lookin' good." He felt the heat on her cheeks. "I thought we'd quit blushing."

She didn't reply, but instead broke away to try and finish packing. She felt herself being pulled back in, but she gladly obliged. "What are you doing?"

"Flirting. Is it working?" She nodded into his shoulder. "Good." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him.

"I'm so tired. I feel like I never stop. How are you not falling over?" Cooper never seemed to get tired - it was like he was invincible, but maybe he really was.

"Lots of coffee." Amelia laughed, attempting to pack again. "If you're that tired, take a nap. I'll finish this up."

She began shaking her head 'no'. "Not after knowing how you fold shirts. No, no." She filled up one box, putting it on the floor. "I don't trust you to pack."

"Don't trust me to pack? You're okay with me flying through a wormhole but you don't want me to pack a box?"

"That's correct." She walked into the common area and opened another box, filling their desk items with it.

"Now, Amelia, that's ridiculous." He stood next to her as she organized pens by color. "Who cares if the red is with the blue?"

"Cooper, if you want to help, just sit down and talk to me, that would be the most helpful thing you could do. I'm not far from finished here, anyway." He huffed and walked over to his desk chair, sitting down.

She was meticulous to a fault, each thing having its own little place, color coded, number coded... the list went on. "If you're that tired, let's go home and sleep."

"Cooper, this is one less thing I have to worry about if I get it done." She held a wad of highlighters in her hand, turning back to her desk. "You're just making it more difficult."

"Good Lord, Amelia." She stopped what she was doing."You need to chill out."

"Excuse me?" He knew he was in trouble now, but he didn't care.

"Look, if you're gonna act like this, I'm going back to the apartment. You already said that there was nothing I could do here, anyway." He laughed, holding his hands in question.

"This feels oddly familiar, doesn't it, Cooper?" Amelia said as he walked toward the door. Like before, he stopped and turned around.

_Better stay, bud,_ he told himself. He walked back toward her, standing five feet away. "What's got you so stressed?"

"Oh nothing, Cooper, just a whole new life, that's all." _How dare he!_ He should know her moods by now. "I'm staying here by myself tonight."

"The hell you are!" He reached out for her but she pulled away. "Amelia..."

"Go, Cooper." Cooper hadn't seen her this mad since when he'd first got there in the first place. "Go."

"You're kidding me," he replied, still stunned.

"Go." Cooper smirked at her request, turning back toward the door.

"Reality fucking sucks, don't it, Amelia?" Cooper walked out the door, hearing it close. He walked slowly, anticipating her to come runnin after him, but she didn't. He stood 100 yards from the unit for ten minutes before deciding to walk on back to the apartment.


	3. Chapter 3: Construendos Muros

Sorry for all the sappiness, but I've been listening to Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" on repeat and as terrible as 50 Shades is, that's a damn good song! It's got too much influence on my writing. Maybe if I listen to Manson I can make Amelia a bit more bitchy? But really, I need to put some fire under her feet.

The reviews have been amazing, but before you read this chapter, I want you to know a little bit about why it exists:

I've always been able to see a lot of myself in Amelia - not because of her intelligence or looks, but because I think she builds walls around her to keep people out and I've done that my whole life. She likes to take risks but at the same time, she likes to be safe from her surroundings so that her heart doesn't get hurt. Cooper feels all of the energy around him and can pick up on minor details that when you get down to it aren't that minor at all. Cooper digs, Amelia builds, and Cooper doesn't like being shut out of anything, literally or figuratively (hello, did you watch the movie? DUH).

Amelia is never confident about anything except her intelligence (we're working on that), and because of that, she's not the most emotionally mature person. I think that from an early age she saw emotions as a weakness, and then when she finally gave into love, it got taken away from her. She believes in love so strongly because she knows what it feels like to have it ripped away.

Also, for people who are so emotionally weak, having control of a situation is ideal - having the control means that she can make sure that something can't hurt her. And as much as she feels like she trusts Cooper, she probably still only trusts herself. She trusts him with her life, but her heart is another thing. That's the sign of a damaged spirit, in my opinion.

Amelia feels safe with Cooper and that terrifies her because she doesn't want to have to rely on anyone else. He represents the emotional security that she's not used to. That's why she's embarrassed to cry in front of him, because she doesn't want him to think that she's weak. She knows she's weak, no one else needs to know.

Cooper is naturally inclined to care about others. Not only do we get this from his relationships within his house and falling into Gargantua, but we also get it from his occupation: farming. Farming is a 24/7 job; you're constantly caring for either plants or animals, maybe both. Cooper also strikes me as someone who needs to protect others in order to feel like he's needed. So here he is, in love with a chick who puts up a fence around her heart anytime she's scared, someone who wants to believe she's invincible when she's really anything but.

You might say that if this is the case, they're not good for each other, but I'll argue the exact opposite. She needs to have those fences taken up, the walls torn down if she ever wants to be comfortable in herself, and Cooper is just the guy for that. He's a good listener, he's soft spoken when he needs to be, and he's selfless, which means he'll put her emotions in front of his. Amelia is someone who needs to be protected and that's appealing to a leader like Cooper.

Oh, psychology; don't you just love it? Anyway, that should help a little bit with this chapter and maybe even some previous questions. Enjoy chapter 3!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 3: Construendos Muros

He knew this wasn't going to last, but her stubbornness was up there with the best of them. Her temper varied, but as soon as they were no longer alone, her wall had gone back up, with no doorway for him to get in. Five minutes later he was back at the new place and TARS and CASE were parked against the wall.

"CASE, you might wanna go find Amelia, she's in the unit," Cooper suggested, lookin at both bots.

"Yes, sir," CASE replied, walking toward the door, leaving.

"Cooper, everything isn't okay, is it?" TARS asked. Cooper shook his head.

"TARS, not now." He followed Cooper into the kitchen area - Cooper stared at the papers that were still scattered across the table, well, his were. Amelia's were in a neat stack. _Figures_. "TARS, Amelia's been acting funny."

"And you don't act funny every day?" That brought a smile to his face.

"You know what I mean, smart ass." Cooper sat down at the table and began to organize his papers. "But I've seen this version of her before."

"When?" Cooper thought back to accusing Amelia of letting her emotions guide her in the wrong direction, when it turned out that they were leading her on a very certain path.

"Before Mann's," he replied, picturing her sitting across from him. "How do you reason with someone that intelligent, TARS?"

"You're relatively intelligent, Cooper, figure it out." Cooper chuckled and leaned back in the chair, still picturing her on the other side. "What would she say to you right now, if she was being honest?"

_She'd tell me that she was stressed, and that she's not a people person, that she's tired and has no idea what she's going into. That she feels old. That she's not scared of being by ourselves again, or being somewhere unknown again, but that she's scared of what they're going to do to the life we've created. That I should be more patient._

"Packing the unit up is the only thing she can control right now, and she likes control. Type-A all the way," Cooper said out loud. "She builds walls."

_Let her cool off for a bit. That'll help. _

* * *

**3 months until the launch of the Lazarus Mission**

_"Why are you doing this to me?"_ A twenty-three year old Amelia leaned against a wall in her father's office._ "Why him, dad?"_ She was trying to fight off the tears the best that she could.

_"Amelia, this is the future of the human race, not a love story,"_ her father replied. _"I advised that none of them had any relationships, and obviously Dr. Edmunds didn't listen. How did you think you were going to keep this a secret from me, Amelia? Headquarters isn't small, but word travels fast." _

_"So that's that, then? You're sending him out there, even after what you know?"_ John Brand nodded, looking at his daughter with sympathy.

_"And you knew too, young lady! You were very, very well aware. You've brought some of this on yourself, but he should have had the good sense to avoid you."_ Amelia pulled her sleeves over her fists, wiping her eyes. _"I thought he was smarter than that."_

_"I couldn't avoid him, daddy, and he couldn't avoid me. I love him and he loves me,"_ she sobbed, watching as her father walked toward her.

_"Amelia, the construct of love is right up here,"_ he said as he pointed at her head. _ "It's only as intense and encompassing as we create it."_

_"So you didn't just love mom? When you saw her for the first time, your heart didn't stop? You just saw another person?" _

_"No, Amelia, that's not what I mean. I allowed myself to love your mother, and she allowed herself to love me. I wasn't getting ready to fly out into another galaxy and neither was she. We had the opportunity."_ He knew his daughter was grieving, but she had to learn the consequences of her actions.

_"I shouldn't have fallen in love with him because it's not particularly convenient? That seems selfish on your end, dad. You had seventeen years with mom and I've had not even one with Wolf and you're tearing it apart!"_ She stormed out of the office, feeling her father pull her back in.

_"He's going and that's final! He's agreed to it and he's the best option that we have. We're not exactly teaming with particle physicists these days."_ She hugged her father and cried on his shoulder._ "I know that you're scared, and I'm sorry that it had to be this way." _

_"But dad,"_ she was sobbing too hard to finish her sentence.

_"Amelia, control yourself! How would it look if I said to the other eleven, 'my daughter's fallen in love with Dr. Edmunds so he won't be making the trip with you'? Now that wouldn't be fair, would it?"_ She pulled away and shook her head. _"This is going to be rough on you, I know, but with Dr. Miller gone, you'll be over the biology department. The youngest to ever do so. You'll have a lot to focus on." _

_"Yes, dad."_ Amelia walked toward the door again.

_"Amelia?"_ She stopped and turned around, looking at her father. _"I love you."_

_"I love you, too, dad."_ Amelia stormed back to her quarters. **_Wolf's going to be gone and you are going to be here all by yourself. You're going to have to be brave. _**

She unlocked her door and went into the bathroom to wash her face, tears still trickling down her cheeks. Between her mascara stained face and thick, frizzy braid, she looked like a mess. **_ Remember Amelia, control yourself... like dad said to. _**

* * *

**10 years later  
3 weeks until the launch of the Endurance Mission**

_"Dad, how do you know that you can trust him?"_ Amelia asked her father just as the man and his daughter had left.

_"Amelia, he's the most interesting student I've ever had. He thinks differently - his mind bends in a way that allows him to be resourceful in ways that I'd never seen until he came along. He never studied for tests and relied completely upon context clues to answer questions. He never got anything lower than a 90 percent on an exam." _

Amelia rolled her eyes. _"He looks and sounds like he thinks highly of himself."_ John Brand laughed as he sat down at his desk.

_"Well he should. Considering the circumstances that we're living in, he's extremely accomplished." _

_"But what does that have to do with his ability to pilot?"_ He smiled at his daughter before folding his hands.

_"Resourcefulness, Amelia, especially out there, will come in great handy. No offense to Doyle, but he only sees what is in front of him, and it's not Romilly's job to guide anyone on this mission - he's going to get as much information about the black hole as he can."_ Amelia pulled a chair up in front of her father's desk.

_"Are you saying that I'm not resourceful?"_ Dr. Brand chuckled at his daughter.

_"No, but, Amelia I do believe that you'll find Cooper to be most helpful."_ She nodded and she leaned back in the chair. _"I'm too old to pilot the mission, Amelia. Cooper's sudden appearance here is nothing short of a miracle for us."_

_"I know."_ There was an awkward silence - time was a sensitive subject for them right now. _"How does his resourcefulness make you trust him?"_

_"Because he still loves this, Amelia, even after his crash, after all these years. You saw how fascinated he was."_ She had seen it, and it turned out that he was smarter than he let himself appear to be. _ "Trust me, you'll someday see why I've made this decision."_

_"I hope you're right."_

* * *

Amelia looked around the boxed-up unit, smiling softly as she peered into Cooper's room. "Amelia, you constantly fuck this up," she said out loud. She walked into his room and opened up a box that she hadn't packed - one Cooper had done himself.

Not as bad as it could have been, she thought as she straightened a few things in the box. At the bottom, there was an even smaller container, and it had her curious. She reached for it and took it, slowly opening the box.

"Oh." There was his ring that he'd taken off a few months ago, a sign of their acknowledgement of a second chance. She quickly put it back, guilt washing over her.

_You shouldn't feel guilty for expressing yourself, you just choose the worst ways to do it. _

"Dr. Brand?" Amelia stood up straight as she heard CASE.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she walked out of his room.

"Cooper sent me. I don't think he wanted you to be by yourself." She nodded and walked back into his room.

"That was nice of him." Amelia looked into the mirror and pushed her bangs back. "He's a good guy."

_More than a good guy. He gave up everything to make sure you made it here and then he gave up everything again to get here to be with you. _

"Damn, this love thing is more difficult than I remember it being," she said to herself, wishing he was there with her right then._ It was easier then because the whole time, deep down, you knew he was leaving. Cooper's not going anywhere._ "I'll apologize tomorrow; go back to the apartment and tell him that I'm sorry."

"Dr. Brand, are you talking to me?" CASE asked from the common area.

"No. Sorry, CASE." _I could send him a message and tell him to come over or to come get me. Maybe I should just let him have a little distance from me for a bit, though. Must be nice,_ "because I've been a complete asshole."

* * *

Cooper woke up in the dark, in an empty bed. He touched her pillow just to remind himself that she wasn't there.

"Damn." He sat up and rubbed his face with both hands. He'd forgotten how nice it was to wake up and see her next to him - he'd taken it for granted.

_You both screwed up,_ he thought, laying back down. "That's it." He hopped out of the bed and threw on shoes and a t-shirt, practically running from the room and grabbing his jacket. "Where're those keys?" he asked out loud.

"To the ATV? On the kitchen island, Coop." TARS' voice startled him, but he quickly forgot about it and grabbed the keys.

"See ya later, bud," Cooper said as he left the apartment and went outside to find the ATV conveniently parked 20 feet away. He hopped on and started it up, the light from the unit within sight. "I'm on my way." He'd said it as if Amelia was right there with him.

He sped the whole way there, the cold air causing his eyes to water. The trip lasted two minutes, but felt like an eternity to him. All he cared about in that moment was reaching her and telling her that she needed to trust him again - that he needed her to trust him again.

He stopped in front of the unit and turned the ATV off, running toward the door, holding up his hand to scan.

The door opened more slowly than he remembered, and he made sure to walk to her room as softly as possible.

"Hey there, CASE," Cooper whispered as quietly as possible. "Everything is alright." He stepped in and made the short trek to her door, noticing that it was wide open. Amelia wasn't there.

"Oh, shit," he said out loud, putting a hand to his forehead. He then looked up and turned around to his old door, which was closed, bringing a smile to his face. He was thankful to see that it was unlocked when he slowly turned the knob, finding her sleeping form in the bed. He slipped out of his shoes and jacket. "Who knew I'd miss you this much after just a few hours," he whispered as he crawled in next to her, putting his left arm over her.

"Cooper?" His lips in a straight line, he touched them to the back of her neck, smiling when he felt her take hold of his arm, clutching it to her chest. "That is you, isn't it?"

He chuckled as he moved his head to the crook of her neck. "Expecting someone else?" She stayed still, but where she had his hand, right up against her heart, he felt her pulse quicken.

"No," she whispered honestly, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles. "Why are you here?"

He felt her hold on his arm tighten, as if she was forbidding him from leaving. "Why wouldn't I be here?" As he moved his head out of the crook of her neck, he watched her shift her own further into the pillow.

"We had a fight." _And that was supposed to keep me away?_

"Amelia, shit like that just happens, we get over it, we move on," he whispered into her hair. "Nothing you say or do can keep me away from you."

"That's good." She yawned and Cooper felt her breathing steady, indicating she was back asleep.

_And I thought she didn't like this bed._ Cooper closed his eyes and followed her to sleep.

* * *

"Hey," Cooper said softly, watching as Amelia's eyes fluttered open. She didn't seem shocked to see him there.

"What are you doing here?" _What would I be doing if I wasn't?_ he thought to himself._ She obviously doesn't remember our conversation last night. _

"I woke up and realized you weren't next to me and it just didn't feel right." She smiled and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

"I'm a total ass sometimes, I know," she replied as she opened her eyes again.

"No, it's not that." Cooper held his breath before exhaling and asking the question. "Are you getting cold feet about the mission?" he asked, slightly confused. She was the strongest person he knew.

"Does this whole ordeal not make you nervous?" Her eyes appeared bigger and her face tired.

"I guess, in a way, yeah, it does, but it's exciting." Amelia had opened up over the past few months but that wall was being built back up again since the stations were arriving.  
"We can't go back to Earth, Amelia, it's vacant now, it's empty... just dust and water."

"I know that," she replied as she sat up. "I'm not trying to go back, obviously. It's just all too real. At least when it was just us there was some kind of mystery to it."

"Mystery?" What did she mean by that? Cooper sat up, too, waiting for her answer.

"Oh my God, this sounds like some sappy fairytale crap, but it was like every day there was some kind of task to conquer or adventure for us to live out. This doesn't feel like an adventure anymore, this feels like-"

"Real life?" Cooper finished her sentence, getting a little smile out of her.

"Yeah, real life. If I'd wanted a normal life, I wouldn't have done this, you know? Life the way they live it looks so boring." That's how Cooper had felt on the station: bored. "Not a day in my life have I been into all this, this, whatever this is."

"We're gonna be okay, Amelia," he reassured her. "We'll be doing our own thing again before you know it." She nodded without confidence in that. "And I can be Prince Charming again and you can be in a tower or talk to birds, whatever you want."

"That's not really my scene, but you're welcome to wear tights if that's what you're into." He laughed as she crawled over him and out of the bed.

She walked out of the room and Cooper sat there for a moment before he spoke again. "But what if I need to save you?"

"What?" she asked. Cooper got up out of the bed and joined her in the common area.

"What if I need to save you?" She stared at him, trying to pick apart his words, what he'd meant.

"_What if you need to save me?_ What does that mean?" He smiled, remembering to never take looking at her for granted again.

"What if I need you to need me?" She scrunched her face.

"I _do_ need you," she replied, looking up at him.

"No, I mean," he paused, walking toward his desk, sitting on it. "You're a very strong person, Amelia. I've never met anyone like you."

She stayed where she was. "I've never met anyone like you either," she whispered just loud enough so he could hear her.

"That's nice to know," he said, crossing his arms. "What I mean is that sometimes you're almost too strong. You build up that wall you've got around you and instead of letting me be there, you make me scale it - force my way in. I don't want to have to break down your walls, I don't even want you to have to build walls. More than anything, I want you to let me be your figurative wall. I can be, but you've got to let me."

She'd never heard anything any more romantic and sweet in her life, and she wasn't a romantic person, but Cooper was so good at making her think that maybe there was a hint of romance in her heart. She certainly believed in the power of love, but romance was a whole other ballgame.

"I can't keep all the pain out, but if you'd just tell me these things, if you'd trust me just a little more, I would do whatever I could to make sure nothing or no one ever hurt you."

"Am I supposed to be your wall, too?" He smiled, looking down at his feet.

"You can be if you want." She nodded, still standing away from him. "I'd like that."

"I want to be. I trust you." They stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was only seconds.

"You're so independent, so strong-willed that it's hard for you to trust people, I get that," he replied as he hopped off the desk. "I need you to need me in more ways than one, Amelia." He quickly broke the distance between them and loosely held her hands in his fists. "There's nothing wrong with you being strong-willed, independent, intelligent... after I got over how gorgeous you were I realized that your mind was what really drew me to you. You're so determined; you've saved me more times than you'd like to think, times where I've needed you to save me."

"What's all of that supposed to mean?" She had asked softly, knowing what it meant, just wanting to hear him say it.

"I need you to be vulnerable with me. Maybe you don't need it, but I do. I want to have a purpose in your life." She took her hands away from his and brought his face down to hers.

"You have more purpose in my life than you could ever imagine," she said before she kissed him lightly. "I know I'm not perfect, not open enough, but I swear, with every fiber in my being, I'll try my best to not shut you out anymore."

"Good, because I can't get to you otherwise." They kissed again, slowly, as if it was going to slow down time. "You got yourself up in that tower, after all, don't ya?"

"Oh, please," she laughed letting go of him. "Go find some birds to talk to."


	4. Chapter 4: Vinum

Hello, readers! Thank you for all of the follows/favs/reviews! It's so amazing to know people actually enjoy this!

To guest reviewer Juliana, I was legit in the process of writing my foreword to this chapter when I got an email about your review. Can we talk about how our brains might be magnetically linked? Really, though.

Happy reading!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 4: Vinum

All of the boxes had been taken from the unit, and the unit itself would be transported to the new location the next day, and Amelia and Cooper would be following.

"Amelia, this location is perfect," Cooper said as they flipped through the pictures on the tablet. "It's beautiful."

"We'll be set up ten miles away from the coast line, right?" Cooper tapped to the fact sheet. "Oh, yeah, there it is." He passed the sheet over to her. "Based on its proximity to the planet's equator, we're probably going to have a little bit of time where it's really, really cold."

"How cold are we talkin', here, Brand?" Amelia thought about where on Earth this was comparable to.

"We're probably going to have a fair amount of snow, that's if the weather here is comparable to Earth's, so probably pretty cold. Dr. Hernandez said something about there being a lot of vegetation there, too." She put the fact sheet back next to Cooper who was soaked into the pictures still.

"Wonder when this cold season, or winter-whatever will happen?" Based on their location on the northern hemisphere and their current orbit as described by Dr. Tolbert, Amelia figured that it probably would be very soon.

"If snow exists here, which I'm guessing that it does, we'll probably see some very soon." They were leaving the next day - Amelia couldn't get out of there soon enough. "I guess you're going to have a little bit of a break, then, aren't you?"

"I suppose so. Can't really do much farming in the snow." Amelia put her arm on Cooper's shoulder as she got up from the table. "Something tells me I can keep myself occupied." He chuckled softly as Amelia walked to the cooktop.

"Uh huh, sure," she replied with a smirk. "Want anything?" She put the tea kettle on the stove, and turned the knob to high.

"I'm good right now, but thank you." Amelia walked back to the table and sat in front of him.

"In less than 12 hours we'll be headed to our new home," she reminded him, lightly tapping his feet with her own under the table.

"You ready?" She nodded in response as she looked at him. She could never tire of looking at that face.

"Mhmmm." She got back up as she heard the kettle whistle. "I think it'll be good for us. Fun, a nice change... a change back to what we're more used to now." She prepared the tea and came back to the table.

Cooper had hidden the pictures of the house on his tablet. It was the perfect farmhouse - just what Amelia had said she'd wanted. On the surface, Amelia looked very much like a minimalist, as if she belonged in that aluminum environment, but he was now figuring out that that probably had not been by choice - life at NASA probably forced that on you.

She took a sip of the tea, exhaling as she put the mug back on the tabletop. "I think we'll enjoy ourselves enough." She nodded again as she stretched her arms. "Maybe my chronic fatigue will be gone once we get out of here, too."

Cooper put the tablet down, looking across the table. "Obviously the change is the cause, but the exact reason is...?"

"Anxiety is the likely cause. Like I said earlier this morning, it's nerve-wracking for me. I know we're going to be just fine, but the waiting has been ridiculous for me."

He wanted to see her like he had in that dream. She'd looked relaxed then; it suited her. "I'm going to make this up to you."

"You're not the reason that I'm exhausted, Cooper." He was glad to hear that, even know he knew he wasn't.

"I know, but I'm gonna come up with something, just wait," he said, watching her smile gently. "I'm gonna make it worth it."

Amelia's smile widened this time. "You always make anything worth it, but I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve."

* * *

The small plane landed on a long strip of land close to tall grass.

"Oh, Cooper, this is perfect!" Amelia exclaimed as she looked at the house. "They were right about it definitely not being another unit."

"Well, the unit's right outside incase you're ever missing it." Amelia's eyes widened as they walked into the house. "What do you think?"

"I don't think words can accurately describe how I feel right now," she replied as she ran her dainty hand over the bannister. "It's perfect." Cooper watched her as she stood in place, staring at everything. "You had something to do with this, I can tell."

"How?" he asked, letting the cat out of the bag.

"I don't know, but it just looks like you... I like it." Cooper smiled at that. "Thank you."

"You gonna actually check it out, or what?" They both turned around to the door when they heard someone walk in.

"We've got all the boxes unpacked as of this morning except for the few that you two wanted to unpack on your own." Cooper and Amelia both nodded. "I'm Ted Pates, by the way. I'm over land research, so I'll be here every 10 days to pick up anything you two have found. If it's urgent, I'll come get whatever you have then, but they didn't want some tech coming to get your stuff. I don't think any of those kids could handle themselves around either of you."

Amelia and Cooper both knew why. It would have been awkward and unreal to meet someone from your history book that was supposedly ancient. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Pates." Amelia walked toward the door to shake his hand. Cooper did the same.

"Call me Ted, please. It's an honor to meet you two. We honestly couldn't be more grateful for everything you've done." There was an awkward silence that prompted Pates to speak. "They're unloading the last two stations right now, so they might have me back to a office before we know it, but I sure hope not."

"D'you like being tied down to one thing, either?" Cooper asked.

"Oh, no. Especially after being on a station for that long, are you kidding me? Not with all of this that I've got to get into now." Amelia smiled and crossed her arms. "Well, I'm going to leave you two to get settled in. I'll be back in five days for a little meeting, so I guess I'll see you both then."

They said their goodbyes as Pates walked back to the plane. "He was nice," Amelia said turning back toward the stairs.

"Are you going to look around or not, Brand?" They both laughed as she shooed him away.

"Okay, okay!" She grabbed his hand as they walked through the first floor examine each room.

"Come on, let's go look upstairs." Amelia followed him up the stairs to look around.

* * *

"So you like it?" Cooper asked Amelia as they walked back down the stairs.

"Definitely, beyond a shadow of a doubt." She walked over to him and kissed him. "You're just amazing all the way around."

"I knew that already, but thank you," he replied, watching Amelia roll her eyes. "You are, too, ya know."

"I'm glad you think so." The quiet in the house was noticeable, but not unwelcome. "Alone at last... again."

He leaned down to kiss her again, adding a little noise to the silence. "I've got plans for tonight," Cooper muttered as he broke the kiss. "You're involved."

"Okay," she whispered back, watching him. "First date? Awfully late for that, don't you think?"

He laughed as a smile appeared on her lips. "This place isn't exactly teaming with movie theaters."

"Or backseats," Amelia reminded him, grinning still.

"No, none of them, either." He smiled back as she walked toward the front door and opened it, standing against the frame. "You really like it?"

"I really love it." She turned back around and shut the door. "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?"

"I try," Cooper replied, following Amelia into the sitting room.

She sat down on the sofa, and looked at the coffee table and fireplace in front of her. This place was perfect all the way around - just the right fit for the two of them.

"So these plans for tonight, what should I wear?" Cooper sat down next to her and put a hand on her thigh.

"Nothing fancy. I'm going to have on my usual." _Good,_ Amelia thought, _I don't want to wear heels._

* * *

"Are you trying to see how many surprises you can pull on me today, or something?" She asked as soon as dinner was over. The only thing providing light in the house at the moment were the two candles sitting on the table. Amelia took another sip of wine.

"I'm just trying something new," Cooper replied, filling her glass back up. "You really don't have to drink if you don't want to. I'm not trying to be _that_ guy."

"This isn't college, and this isn't vodka. I think I'll be okay," she replied. "It's really good, anyway." Cooper wouldn't know; he'd never much enjoyed wine. "Still got those distillery dreams?"

Cooper held up his highball glass, before taking another sip of the whisky. "Might get a still and keep it outback. God knows I'm gonna have enough corn for it. The problem is jars." Amelia laughed lightly and took another sip of her wine.

"Whatever am I going to do with you?" He held out his left arm out across the table and took her hand.

"I'm not sure," Cooper whispered, watching as the candlelight danced on her face. "Dance with me."

"No music?" He shook his head as he stood up.

"No music." Amelia got up from her chair and Cooper took her hand.

"I'm not a good dancer," she informed him.

"I don't have any formal training, but I think we'll make due." His hands wrapped around her and she did the same. "See, this isn't bad."

"I guess you're right." She put her head on his chest as they moved slowly. "Out of all the other ways that this mess could have ended up, I'm glad that it's the way it is."

"Me too," Cooper responded, his hold on her loosening. There were so many ways that this could have ended up, but the way that it had was unbelievably good. "You're not nearly as terrible of a dancer as you claim to be."

"We're really not doing much here, Cooper. It would be a little difficult to mess this up." He chuckled, agreeing.

"Maybe you're right, but you can't be as terrible as you say you are," Cooper replied as he brought them to a standstill.

"You're just trying to romance me," Amelia said, biting her lip, "and you're doing a good job at it." Cooper walked away and took both of their drinks off of the table and motioned for Amelia to follow him.

"I'm gonna get this thing started up... didn't have it put here for no good reason." Cooper had already placed the wood in the fireplace and just had to light it, which he easily did. "Isn't that pretty? Beats silver walls, don't it?" Amelia giggled as Cooper handed her the glass.

"It does." Amelia took a large sip of her drink as Cooper took a drink of his.

"Put the drink down, Amelia," He whispered, watching as she did as told. "Good."

"Trying to be bossy?" She definitely was a little buzzed now. He took a large swig of the whisky before putting his glass next to Amelia's.

"You know it." Cooper closed the short distance between them, pulling her to him, kissing her passionately. She'd been waiting on this the entire night, knowing that this was what it was all leading up to.

Amelia felt the back of her knees against the couch and fell backward, pulling him with her. "Where are TARS and CASE?"

"I locked 'em in the unit. I told you I'd do it."

* * *

The sun faded into the room, forcing Amelia's eyes open.

_Outside checking the fields. I won't wander off too far._

_Well, I guess he got up a while ago_, she thought. Amelia smiled as she climbed out of the bed and put her robe on. _Hope he remembers what I consider to be too far._

"Good morning, Dr. Brand," she heard CASE say as she walked down the stairs.

"Good morning, CASE. I guess TARS is with Cooper?" Amelia looked out the window and was able to see them both.

"Yes. Cooper says that they're testing the soil quality." She thought that she should probably be helping, or at least doing something. _As amazing as this place is, it's not all fun and games._

"CASE, I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed. I'm going to go out there with them." Amelia turned around and headed back up the stairs to get ready for the day.

* * *

"You locked me in that godforsaken unit just like you said you would. CASE isn't a conversationalist, so I'm sure you can imagine how great it was being stuck in there for 12 hours with him." Cooper smirked as he and TARS walked through the fields where they'd be putting crops.

"Couldn't have you wrecking my plans, now, TARS," Cooper stated, hands in his jacket pockets. "I'm not going to lock you in there all the time, don't worry."

"All the time? That's the key phrase, there." Cooper shielded his eyes from the sun with his arm as he scanned the land, surprised to see Amelia walking toward him from the house.

"Hey," he said as he walked toward her. TARS stayed where he was. "You didn't have to come out here."

"But I wanted to," she replied before reaching him. "I got up and you weren't there."

"Figured you'd had enough of me last night." Amelia stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

"I don't think there's a limit on how much Cooper I can handle," she suggested playfully. Cooper smirked, his hands back in his pockets. "CASE says you're testing soil quality?"

"Well, getting samples, yeah." She nodded as she walked beside him back toward TARS. "There's more that needs to be done, and I want to go see this coast they told us about, but I don't know if we've got time for that today or not."

* * *

"The soil looks good - it's not perfect, but it should support crops. We can probably lay some fertilizer down and make it more productive," Amelia said as she walked out of the little home lab, tearing off her goggles and gloves. "Who would've known, right?"

"They're bringing in trees when Pates comes back for that meeting, apparently," Cooper said, looking at his tablet.

"Fruit trees?" Amelia took off her lab jacket.

"Yep," he replied, "they'll probably have tourist groups coming in to pick apples before you know it." Amelia laughed and sat down next to him.

"I sure hope not." She picked up her own tablet from the coffee table. "Have you read the news yet?"

"I'll start reading the paper in about a year after our 'newness' wears off." Amelia rolled her eyes and sunk further into the couch.

"Well, Mister Celebrity, we aren't in the paper today, just so you know. Those two stations Pates said they were unloading are apparently having a little difficulty - they're the two most heavily populated. Murph's and one named Reed." Cooper didn't respond, his face blank. "What's the matter?"

"I got a message today that Tom's son and his family will be leaving their station, Reed, soon."

"Why didn't you tell me, Cooper? Not that I need to know everything, but, well," Amelia stammered.

"They all saw me alive once, and that had to be freaky for them, 'cause it was freaky for me." Amelia had no living relatives; her father had been the only remaining one when she'd left. She didn't know how this had to feel except mind boggling and heart wrenching. "They haven't said that they want to see me or anything, and I understand if they don't, but I never even thought about any of them being here." Amelia was shocked to feel his head land in her lap, but immediately began running her fingers over his hairline like she always did. "Oh, hey, just bumped into my great-grandchild at the post office, who by the way looks 60 and I look 41 or whatever. Casual."

"I know that we were kind of stuck with each other, by choice mind you, but that last sentence of yours sounded way too much like me just then," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, I don't know how this has to feel for you, but it must be difficult."

He closed his eyes, the feeling of her fingertips on his forehead enough to send him to sleep. "It is. It's not something anyone should have to deal with. No one prepares for it, obviously."

"We'll learn how to deal with it - we've learned how to deal with everything that has come our way, and look at us - we've survived." She was right, they'd find a way, they always had.

"I know we will," Cooper responded as Amelia's fingers still ran across his hairline. "It's just weird."

Amelia didn't know what to say except that they'd faced greater obstacles and that he was invincible in her eyes.

"Maybe they want to get to know you, though. You're a wealth of knowledge on Tom and Murph, and no parent ever tells their children everything about their own childhoods. That's what grandparents are for, at least my grandma told me everything I could ever need to know that was embarrassing about my dad." Cooper stayed still.

"But, Amelia, they don't have Murph or Tom to make fun of anymore," he laughed, trying not to cry. "I told you we'd have days like this."

"Cooper, I have days like this all the time," she chuckled, moving her hand to his scalp. "Like you said, we're never going to get over it, and we shouldn't. We can't deny that that part of us exists."

"I know." Amelia leaned down to kiss his forehead. "We'll make it."


	5. Chapter 5: Tergum Consilium

I have the next two chapters written and it makes me so excited to think about you all reading them! Also, there are two GIANT Easter Eggs in here (keep this entire sentence in mind when trying to find it). If you think you've found the Easter Eggs, please put it in the review section. I mean, I'd like for you to review anyway, but I worked really hard on these two!

Anywho, it's about to get real surrrrrius up in hurr. You think you know how this whole saga will end, but you don't. You don't. Muahahahahaha!

Hell, I really don't know how it's going to end exactly, either. Who am I kidding?

Readers, ENJOY and REVIEW... please! :)

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 5: Tergum Consilium  


"Cooper, I've got some footage of animal life out in the woods five clicks out. You might want to take a look," CASE said, walking into Cooper's office.

"Well, lemme get a look at it, buddy," he said standing up and walking toward the robot. "Whoa, nelly! That thing's bigger than a horse. What is it with antlers on this planet? A huge-ass horse with antlers. It's like an illuminati comedy hour." It wasn't an unattractive animal, though - definitely beautiful.

"That's not all, those micro bears also live in this area. I don't think the super-horses prey on them, though. I zoomed in on the mouth and I don't think their teeth could chew into meat." So they weren't like the beast/coyote-deers, that was good news.

"Might as well tell Amelia. She might try and grab one of those bear-things and bring it home, though." TARS walked in next.

"And Cooper, there's a storm on it's way. Not horrific, but there's lightening and it's going to rain a good amount. You're not going to get much accomplished tomorrow." Cooper laughed and both of them.

"Are you both my secretaries now?" CASE left the room to go find Amelia.

"We're programmed to do whatever you say, isn't that what a secretary is?" Cooper smiled and shook his head.

"Almost, but not really, TARS." TARS left the room, too, as Cooper went back to his desk. He never thought he'd actually ever want or need an office, but he hadn't even been using it for three hours and he decided that he liked it. "You two are more like children." Cooper thought to himself; he had been thinking on and off about those two fertilized eggs that they'd been thisclose to incubating before NASA showed up at the unit.

"Dammit. She's out there," Cooper said out loud as he got up and ran for the door. TARS was right - the rain clouds were coming in quick. Cooper pulled the new, tiny radio from his belt. "Brand, where are you? TARS says a storm's coming, and if you hadn't checked the sky lately, that's pretty obvious."

"I'm upstairs." He turned around and looked up the stairs.

"When did you get back in?" She had obviously just showered - he could smell her lotion all the way downstairs.

"About an hour ago. I was in the dirt, so I came in and immediately showered. "So it's going to storm?"

"Yeah, TARS says it's going to be pretty bad. Might be a good chance for us to observe, though. Who knows, this might be normal weather for this area." Amelia made the short trek down the stairs.

"I hope it's not normal. We'll have to pack up if it is. The crops can't handle monsoons every day." Cooper chuckled as he walked back toward his office; Amelia followed.

"Well, let's hope it's not." He sat behind his desk and she pulled up a chair in front of it. This felt oddly like her many, many talks with her father. "Find anything interesting out there?"

"Dirt is literally death that gives life. Dead bugs and worms, dead plants, dead anything - you name it, that's what makes dirt, well, dirt. We all know that, so why isn't anyone talking about it?"

Cooper looked at her quizzically.

"I mean that there must be tons of fossils under here that could help us find out a bit more about this planet. We didn't have the resources to do it when it was just us here, but we have the resources now. I'm not saying that we're going to find dinosaurs, but maybe we'd find concrete evidence of what was here before us. This planet has to be 100s of millions of years old, at least, just based on the fact that there are animals alone." Amelia began to make a mental list of things she wanted to look into. "I'm not saying that we have to dig right here, but I haven't heard anyone mention a dig. We could ask Pates about it when he comes back."

"Speaking of animals, did CASE tell you about the footage?" Her eyes widened in that way that they always did. "I don't think they're really anything to worry about, they're not our buddies from back at base."

"What do they look like?" Cooper smiled, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Like really big horses with antlers," he replied. Amelia covered her eyes and shook her head. "But, the good news is that those micro bears are here, too."

"So one thing that we are just remotely familiar with. Hopefully we'll find some more animals," Amelia stated as they heard a loud crack of thunder. "Want to go upstairs and watch?" Cooper nodded and they raced up the stairs and into the living room.

"I always wanted to go to a beach after a thunderstorm and see if I could find any sea glass. It looks like a tree once you dig it all up." Amelia smiled as another bolt went into the ground, rattling the house. "It only rained once back at the unit, didn't it?"

"Yeah, just once." She was trying to count the seconds to see how far away the strikes were, if that's how the weather worked there, anyway. "I hope that the solar panels don't get hit." Their power source sat roughly 140 yards away from the house, wires running under the dirt to connect them to the house.

"All we have to do is send a message out to headquarters and they'll come and fix it ASAP," Cooper reminded her. It was going to take some time getting used to the idea that they didn't have to be completely self-reliant for absolutely everything anymore.

They watched the storm pass over, and Cooper couldn't help but compare it to the last of the plagues on Egypt. No, it wasn't anywhere near being exactly the same, but it was then that Cooper was reminded again that all of their pain and suffering had had a purpose.

* * *

Later that afternoon, they went out to see what kind of damage the rain had done. It was cold enough that the water hadn't been completely evaporated, so some of the ground was still completely soaked. "Let's hope this doesn't happen too often," Cooper said as he knelt down and touched the dirt with his right hand.

"It certainly isn't pretty," Amelia replied as Cooper stood back up and dusted his hand off on his jeans.

"You just told me yesterday that dirt was nothing but decay, and you expected it to be pretty?" He laughed as she rolled her eyes. They continued walking.

"I never expected it to be pretty. It's fascinating, but no, it's not pretty." Cooper shook his head in agreement.

"Cooper, you just got a message from Dr. Hart - she wants to know if it's okay to come in and check out the progress," TARS said over the radio. Cooper sighed.

"TARS, there really isn't much progress to show her. Tell her that we had a monsoon of a rain earlier and that it's got the land waterlogged. We've collected dirt samples, but that's been about all we've been able to do so far." Amelia shook her head and laughed lightly. Cooper clipped the radio back to his belt. "Good Lord. These people haven't experienced weather ever or in years... they don't know what a pain in the ass it can be."

"At least they're interested, I guess." Amelia turned back around to look at the house.

"Yeah, real interested. She never contacts you," Cooper stated as he looked up at the sky. He heard Amelia begin to laugh again. "What?"

"She has a crush on you! Maybe not a 'she must have you' crush, but it's probably like being in the presence of a god for her, like we've said before. I don't have that 'charm appeal' that you do, and I'm guessing that she's straight." That made him laugh.

"Well, you're not the cocky charmer, either. Hart's all about this." Amelia shoved him gently. "You jealous, Brand?"

"You wish," she replied, enjoying the grin spread across his face.

"Nah, you're jealous. Don't worry, she can't steal me from you." Coop sure knew how to make her laugh. "Ole Lynn Hart's tryin' to come after me."

"Just don't let Tolbert try and get me, okay?" she joked. Cooper took her hand.

"I'll try'n fight him off. You're mine," he reminded her, smiling, "and I'm not sharing you."

* * *

**2 days before the arrival of NASA on the planet**

_"Only two?"_ Cooper asked as Amelia flipped through one of the many print versions of the fertilized egg profiles.

_"We can't handle 10, Cooper. You know that."_ She didn't look up from the pages. _"Two girls - ID numbers N1107T and M3031H. N11's egg donor had depression and the sperm donor had ADHD, but they were both apparently brilliant, making the combination worth it. The depression can be curbed - I'd say a lot of that was brought on by what appears to be a high-pressure education and job. None of their family medical histories had genes that would conflict with the other. For instance, you could have a fertilized egg where both mother and father carried the gene associated with breast cancer. There are no similarities here, and the ADHD isn't necessarily a bad thing."_

_"You all kept record of just about everything with these donors, didn't you?"_ Amelia nodded.

_"We had to. Diversity, remember?"_ She grabbed another binder, flipping through. _"M30's egg donor was a high up in the government, and the sperm donor was a university professor. That's promising - the sperm donor had bad eyesight, but the egg donor was 20/20, so we'll just hope that's how M30 turns out."_

_"We are appraising these fertilized eggs right now - aren't they all needed?"_ Amelia smiled as she closed the binder.

_"But we need the best of the best right now."_ He agreed.

**_... this isn't like looking for a new condo. _**

_"Are you excited?"_ he asked her. _"I'm kinda looking forward to it."_

Amelia shrugged. _"I never really saw myself having kids, Cooper. Even if I'd wanted them on Earth, I couldn't have them, not without a lot of help from medicine that hasn't been practiced in oh, 30 years; 30 for us, at least. I'm sure we had the technology at headquarters, but I wasn't going to make them use it on me. There were people there who actually wanted kids."_ She paused, thinking to herself.

_"So you would have never considered it - actually having children, that is?"_ She shook her head.

_"I'd have to really weigh the situation. And, I mean, these will be our kids, you know? We're going to be all they've got._" She took off her lab jacket and gloves. "_Is it the ideal situation? Of course not, but it's a responsible decision. That signal a few weeks ago, that could have been, well, who knows what it could have been."_ She looked at him, concerned._ "Are you going to be able to handle this? It has to be rough."_

_"I have to, don't I?" _He chuckled sadly as he walked toward the binders._ "I am looking forward to it, and it might be nice. I like kids."_

* * *

Cooper wrote for hours that night, unable to sleep.

_We just witnessed a ferocious thunderstorm - the truest example that nature is its own art form. This was handled in a whole new way compared to how we would've handled it in the unit, but an educated guess tells me that the region where the unit was wasn't used to storms such as this. We thoroughly enjoyed it to say the least._

There was so much to say about their last two days - how beautiful the land was, how thankful they were that it had all come down to this, and yet they had so much further to go.

Cooper looked over to his left where Amelia was sleeping, head down, face to the side as usual. He didn't get how that could be comfortable, but that's how she slept, nonetheless.

As he often did in the night, he got up and walked to the window and looked out at the stars. _Doesn't look too different than home, or Earth, rather. This is home now. Just us._

Just them; the house reminded him of all the memories of his children and Jill. _This is where they want you now, buddy, and you like it here, and you love who you came out here searching for. _

He turned around and looked at Amelia's sleeping form, bringing a soft smile to his face. _She **is** home._

Murph had to know that this was what it would eventually come to. She knew her old man well, even though he had only been able to share in a tenth of her life. He couldn't feel guilty about wanting to experience that again, wasn't it a natural human desire to have children? _Well, for most people, just not Amelia._ To him, parenting was natural - it hadn't been easy, but anything worth it is never easy.

Cooper thought about holding Tom and Murph for the first time, how both times felt so perfect. Cooper had decided as soon as they'd agreed to start incubating those two fertilized eggs that even though N11 and M30 weren't his genetically, they would be his children, regardless.

He couldn't imagine Amelia teaching a child to call her by her real name - she was practical but not _that_ practical. _ Just because someone gives you life doesn't mean that they give you a life. Doesn't make you any less of a parent if your DNA's not there._

_I'm not trying to play my cards too quick, am I? She'd hate that!_

**_Brand... she's out there... setting up camp._**

_We just got moved, though; probably not the best time, although we would have hopefully nine months. Is that how long incubation lasts? Is it different than a natural gestation period?_

Cooper had no idea how he could convince Amelia that even though they were complete, even though the population bombs were no longer needed, he was still interested in the Plan B they'd almost initiated. _ It could scare her big time_, he thought, still looking into the sky. _But she did say 'I love you' first. That was a big leap for her. _

He knew that he still had a chance but that it would take a lot of convincing, but maybe if she saw how terribly he wanted this, maybe she'd want it, too.

"Did I kick you again? I'm so sorry," he heard Amelia say from behind him. Cooper turned around to see Amelia sitting straight up in the bed. She tapped her hand to an empty spot on the bed, urging him to sit down.

"No, you didn't kick me, I just can't sleep," he replied, sitting down on the bed next to her legs.

"What's on your mind?" What was on his mind? What wasn't on his mind?

"A little bit of everything I guess, just like usual," he muttered as he got up and walked back over to his side of the bed.

"Remember how you told me that my brain never turned off? Yours doesn't, either, apparently," she told him as he crawled back into the bed. "A blessing and a curse."

Cooper watched as Amelia put her head back on her pillow, face to face with him. "We got any melatonin? I'll go get it out, but do we have any?"

"In the medicine cabinet." Cooper got up and walked into the bathroom.

"That stuff does the trick, huh?" he asked as he opened the medicine cabinet door to find the bottle he was looking for.

"It's in the middle - everything is alphabetized." He laughed out loud at that.

"Of course it is," Cooper exclaimed as he found the bottle. "I only take one of these, right?"

"Unless you want to sleep for 16 hours, yes," Amelia reminded him. He popped one of the pills in to his mouth and put the bottle back up where it belonged. "That should do the trick."

"I hope so." He walked back from the bathroom and slipped back into the bed. "Okay, going back to our pillow talk."

"You'll be struggling to stay awake once that stuff gets into your bloodstream." He was happy to hear that. "You said that you have a lot on your mind."

"It reminds me a lot of back home, Amelia, here. It's going to take some getting used to." She could imagine that it would be rough. To him, it was just a year ago that Tom was 15 and Murph was 10, and now they were both gone - had died from old age. "Do you ever feel guilty that we survived?" he asked her.

Survivor's guilt was a real thing, and she was sure that they weren't the only ones living here now who had experienced that. There had to be countless people on the planet that had watched a family member die from some illness brought on by the dust.

"I have twinges of guilt, of course, but Cooper, we've had it rough enough, there's no need for you to put more pressure on yourself. I think about the what-ifs all the time, but those are just what-ifs." She was right - he couldn't live in a world where he punished himself for living.

"Do you know if they're going to incubate those eggs we'd chosen to start up Plan B with?" He was desperately trying to find a way to bring this up.

"I haven't heard anything. I told them what I thought they should do with the eggs, but that's really up to them now. Why?"

"I don't know. I was a little excited about them." Amelia smiled weakly, looking at him. He was such a caring person and Amelia knew she would have to protect him just like he had said he wanted to protect her. Cooper didn't build walls, ever. _He's really taking this second chance thing all the way. Children, even._

"You want to do that all over again? I don't mean that in a bad way, but," she paused as she felt him grab her hand.

"I've thought about it, and I wondered if you know, would I feel like I was cheating Tom and Murph if we did this. I realized that I wouldn't be, that it was just the responsible thing to do, but now that all of these people are here, the population bomb isn't necessary, really. Just as I'd gotten used to the idea, it kind of swiped away."

"You want those eggs... babies?" He knew this was a mistake to bring up.

_You poor, tortured soul, _she thought. He yawned as he flipped to his back. "Just one egg... _baby._ Promise me you'll think about it - don't give up on either of those two. You or I can get up with headquarters in the morning and see if they still have N11 and M30."

_This is serious stuff - he's asking to have a baby with me, not just get the population numbers up_. "I promise." _I'm not really the 'mom' type, am I? Oh, God, is that nurturing gene finally making its appearance? Shit._

Cooper fell asleep shortly after, but then it was Amelia who was awake for hours.

_He actually wants this... hell, what am I going to do?  
_  
_But, I mean, he must really love me if he wants to do this. You don't just plan to have kids with anyone in general, this is a commitment.  
_  
_And he knows I actually can't do this physically, well, not naturally, anyway, so the eggs are really his only chance. Damn.  
_  
_Dad, you asshole, you knew. You knew. I don't know how, but you did. No wonder. 'Plan A is a lot more fun? No it's not - wasn't to you, anyway.  
_  
_Also, he is scary similar to you, dad. So smart, and resourceful, just like you'd said._

_Jesus Christ, a baby._


	6. Chapter 6: Rubesco

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 6: Rubesco

"N7011T and M3031H are safe and sound, just like the rest of them," Amelia said as she read the message to herself.

Cooper smiled gently, thinking about last night's conversation. "And they can begin incubation whenever?"

"Yes." _Okay, you were honest, but he's definitely going to want to talk more about this before going ahead with it._ "You're sure that this isn't some whim?"

"This would be planned beyond normal planning - I know this is your decision, too." _Whew, good_. "This isn't on a whim."

"Good to know that you want me to be involved," she said sarcastically as she poured coffee into the mugs.

"You said you'd think about it," Cooper reminded her as she handed him a coffee mug.

"I sent the message and just read the response to you, didn't I?" The irritation was clear in her voice. "Look, this would be a big undertaking for both of us. Granted, you have had experience with this and I obviously have none, but it wouldn't be easy. I hardly think it's fair for you to expect me to be on board with this right off the bat."

_He has to understand that._ "I just want you to give it some thought. No, it wouldn't be easy, but it's not as terrifying as it sounds, trust me."

_Well, at least I know he's serious._ "I'll think about it, but I'm not making my decision in a few days or a week, even. This is something I want to make a solid decision about."

"That's all I can ask for," he responded, smiling softly.

* * *

It had been a few days since Cooper had mentioned it to her. He could tell that it made her uneasy when they talked about it, and that certainly wasn't helping his cause. If he got his hopes up, he knew he'd be disappointed.

"Pates should be here in about ten minutes!" he heard Amelia yell. Cooper sat at his desk, trying to come up with a few questions that he might need answers to. He had only dealt with corn before, so this was all new to him, and even though Pates was from a station, he seemed to be highly knowledgable from what Cooper could tell in his messages.

"Alright." Cooper got up from the desk to go upstairs and change out of his pajamas. "Amelia, what's the temp out?"

"10 Celsius." He headed up the stairs and into their room. "It's not terrible but it's not what we're used to during the day, that's for sure. I guess it's just starting to get a bit more cold." Winter was getting ready to set in. Would those trees even survive? _The greenhouse, Cooper. You still have one, and they can't be that massive yet._

"I like that sweater," he said as he saw Amelia.

"Thanks." She started to pull clothes out of their closet for Cooper.

"You're dressing me now?" He laughed as she put out a flannel shirt and jeans on the bed.

"We don't have time for you to pick out clothes - to act like you're so low maintenance you take forever to pick out an outfit." She grabbed socks and an undershirt from the dresser drawer.

"I have a very high sense of fashion, what can I say?" She stopped and rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, alright." They heard the plane coming in.

"I'll go on downstairs, just, um, get yourself together." Cooper smiled.

"I'll try," he replied as Amelia headed down the stairs.

* * *

Cooper was back downstairs before Pates and his crew had landed. "That was quick," Amelia stated once she saw him. "I suspect you'll be needing your jacket; I put it up in the coat closet... off of the banister." That type-A in her is really making an appearance today.

They both watched as Pates exited the plane and walked toward the house. "What's he holding?" It obviously wasn't a tree.

"That's a baby," Amelia froze, "Cooper, did you say something to him?"

"Not a word. Maybe it's bring your kid to work day or something." Amelia seemed to believe that. She walked toward the door and opened it once Pates was about 20 feet away.

"Hey, there! Had to bring this little chick today - the nanny's out with a stomach bug." Pates walked into the house with the chunkiest baby - a girl - Cooper had ever seen.

"That is no problem," Cooper assured him.

"How are you?" Amelia asked Pates as he walked in.

"Busy. Hodge, my husband, his office isn't exactly the best place for a baby right now, not that a plane is any better." Cooper couldn't help but smile at the baby and Amelia noticed.

"What does your husband do?" Amelia asked as she took the giant diaper bag off Pates' shoulder.

"He's a lawyer for NASA. Actually, I think he wrote your contracts up." They all walked toward the kitchen table and sat down; Pates put the baby in his lap. "And this is Ellie."

"Hi, Ellie," Cooper said with a smile, getting a smile out of her. _Oh great_, Amelia thought. _This is going to push it further. _

"We also have a son, Ren. He's five." Amelia assumed that he must be in school. "I'm sure you've noticed that it's getting colder, so we don't want to plant these trees just yet. We'll keep them in the greenhouse for now."

"Did you know it was going to get colder or was this a shock?" Amelia had a list of questions, too.

"I did. I tried to tell them, but Hart's pretty stubborn. I don't think her head has wrapped around the idea of winter yet. She's smart, but snow's not really on her radar. She's on board though, and I guess that's all that matters." Cooper and Amelia chuckled, looking at each other. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we just figured out not too long ago that Hart's a little more than obsessed with this mission," Cooper replied.

"She's obsessed with you," Amelia corrected him, smiling.

"That wouldn't surprise me." They both looked at Pates, shocked. "I'm not kidding, but she's in a serious relationship with some guy from SpaceX. I don't remember his name."

"Sleeping with the enemy?" Cooper asked as a joke. Pates laughed.

"Well, I'm sure you know NASA and SpaceX worked together a bit before the blight, then SpaceX actually went under, and not underground like NASA. Once the stations were being built, the company was resurrected, so to speak." Ellie started to gurgle, getting everyone's attention. "Cooper, I need to take you out and show you the trees. I'm sure the crew has put most of them into the greenhouse by now." Cooper and Pates got up from the table.

"How about you leave the baby with Amelia? She needs some practice."

Amelia stood up, shocked. "Cooper!"

Pates smiled to himself.

"Now, Amelia, you can do it. She's just a baby - she's not going to get too far." Amelia walked over to Pates and slowly took the baby from his arms.

"She's only five months; not crawling yet." Amelia stared down at the baby. "She just ate, but there are bottles in a freezer pack in the bag, and just about anything else she could need. We'll only be gone for about 15 minutes."

"Okay," Amelia replied shakily. Cooper grabbed his coat from the closet.

"Papa will be right back, Ellie," Pates said to his daughter as he and Cooper walked out the door.

"So it's just you and me, huh?" Ellie had the bluest eyes on a child that she'd ever seen. "You look absolutely adorable," Amelia gushed, admiring her head to toe sage green outfit.

* * *

"Are two you trying to have a baby? It's none of my business really, but the exchange between you two made it pretty obvious." Cooper and Pates walked toward the greenhouse.

"Before the stations got here, we were prepared to begin the incubation process for two fertilized eggs. When we left Earth, that was our plan if we didn't return, even though both of us believed that Plan A was going to work. Plan B was to start up a colony, and we had the equipment to incubate the first ten eggs, but ten was with the idea that all four of us would survive." Cooper stared into the distance, thinking about Rom and Doyle. "So I got here, and she put it off for as long as possible. She doesn't see herself as the mom-type, but I was really excited about those two."

Cooper took a deep breath, savoring the cold air. "Anyway, so the stations got here, and the plans for those two eggs get tossed out. I didn't realize how excited I was about them until they were gone."

"That's how we had our kids, through an incubator. With both of our jobs, we were able to pull enough strings so that we could go check on them every day. It was really neat." Cooper could only imagine - it was probably amazing to actually see the process of growth with your own eyes. When Tom and Murph had come around, even the ultrasounds were a thing of the past. You had to wait until you had the baby to find out if it was healthy.

Pates didn't want to ask about Cooper's life back on Earth. He was sure that he had already been asked a lot of questions, and he could only imagine that his children would be a tough topic. He remembered an elderly Murphy Cooper being the keynote speaker at his college graduation, and here he stood with her father who looked only a few years older than him.

"And you're trying to get her into the idea," Pates continued and Cooper nodded.

"Yep. I figure that we know this relationship is it for the both of us, at least I think she feels that way." Cooper opened the door to the greenhouse. "I miss having kids."

Pates was silent for a moment before responding. "I guess you'll have a better opinion of how she feels when we get back to the house."

* * *

The baby had gone to sleep in Amelia's arms after five minutes. She didn't know what to do except maybe walk her around the house.

Ellie's chin rested against her shoulder, her chubby cheeks something to smile about. She could imagine that she was a calm baby all the time, but there was no guarantee that N1107T or M3031H would be this calm. They could be screamers for all she knew.

Her hair kept brushing up against Amelia's cheek; what little bit of hair Ellie had was clipped up in that bow, right on the top of her head.

_You can't decide to do this based off of one encounter, that would be anything but an informed decision, and they aren't this perfect all the time. Before, we were doing this out of duty, now Cooper just springs on me that he's interested in those eggs we had planned to incubate. It's incredibly sweet, but also incredibly nerve-wracking. _

_I know he loves me but he must really, really love me if this is what he wants. I'd be happy with it just being us for the rest of our lives, but he had to stop raising his kids in the middle of their childhoods. If he only wants a baby so he can continue that, well, that's not fair for the potential child. He needs to actually want a baby because he wants a baby_ "**with me,**" she whispered.

Amelia stood in the sitting room and looked out the window. Cooper and Pates were walking back toward the house.

Suddenly there was a hand on her nose. "Well, hello. That was a short nap. You woke up just in time." Amelia removed Ellie's hand from her nose, only for her to reach for her ear. "Good thing I'm not really into earrings, huh?"

"Amelia, we're back," she heard Cooper say from the door. She walked in their direction, Ellie still holding onto her ear.

"She had a little nap and just woke up." Ellie turned around in Amelia's arms. "Look who it is."

"Papa's back!" She held out one hand for him, still keeping her hold on Amelia. "Come on, Ellie," Pates said as Amelia gently put her back in his arms. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"We were fine. She slept until I saw you two walking back." Pates nodded as he knelt down slightly to pick up the diaper bag off of the stairs.

"Cooper and I got most of the tree situation cleared up." Cooper smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, good," she replied, still focused in on Cooper.

"I gotta run, you two, but I'll remember to bring Ellie the next time that I can." Cooper nodded and opened the door for Pates.

"Please do. Thanks for the run down on the trees - we'll keep ya updated," Cooper replied as Pates walked away.

Pates stopped and turned around. "Nice getting to see you both again."

"Likewise!" Amelia shouted out the door. Cooper slowly shut it and looked back at Amelia.

"How'd it go?" She smiled and shook her head.

"Cooper, it was twenty minutes, that's hardly enough time to decide if I want a baby or not." Cooper knew that, but at least it was progress. "And I think she's a particularly easy baby. You have no guarantees with kids... one of those two eggs could be criers."

"But you didn't hate it, did you?" Well of course she hadn't.

"No, I didn't hate it. I enjoyed talking to her even though she can't respond, it was just peaceful," she admitted. They still stood in front of the door, looking at each other. "The only experience with kids that I have is babysitting when I was a teenager, but that was only about three times."

"You could do this. It's not easy, but we'd be doing it together." She liked that - _they have each other. _

"I haven't made up my mind, Cooper." He laughed again as Amelia smiled. "But, you know what I like? Babies don't know and don't care about how old I am."

That was a bit more serious. Cooper hadn't thought of it like that, but she was right. A baby of theirs would look at them with love, not that god-like trance they were so used to. Pates was the only other adult person that Cooper and Amelia had interacted with so far that didn't look or treat them like artifacts.

"I hadn't looked at it like that," he replied as they walked toward the kitchen. "That's true."

"If we do this, that would be one certain bonus."

* * *

Just after sundown, Amelia and Cooper sat upstairs in the living room; Amelia read, Cooper wrote.

"What're you reading now?" She looked up from the tablet toward him.

"A book about the last war, how it ended. Such a happy story, you know," she replied sarcastically. "You're writing?"

He held up his stylus before putting it behind his ear. "Yes, I'm writing."

Amelia shivered, grabbing the blanket at the edge of the sofa. "How're you not freezing?"

"It's completely comfortable in here to me." Cooper got up to check the thermostat. "It says it's 73 Fahrenheit. That's beyond warm." Cooper turned the temp up as Amelia spread the blanket over her body. "Is this beyond your normal extreme coldness? You might have a fever if you're that cold."

She shook her head. "I don't have a headache and my eyes don't feel like they're on fire," she stated. "Those are sure-fire signs of a fever for me. Let's hope I'm actually not sick; I'd hate to have made Pates' baby sick. Also, yes, it's worse than my usual."

"I don't think you're sick. I think you're a tad bit anemic. You do look particularly pale." She could see that being the case; Cooper's diagnosis was likely right. "You're starting iron supplements tomorrow." Cooper sat down next to her and put her feet in his lap. "You want some hot tea or something?" He started to rub her feet, which were also freezing. "Lord, Amelia! Your feet are like ice!"

"Oh, I know!" She sat all the way back onto the couch. "Everything is freezing."

"Try and sleep," he suggested as she closed her eyes. "Might make you feel better."

"If I go to sleep now I'll be up all night." At least the anemia would explain why she'd been so tired lately, too.

"I can keep you up all night, too, if you know what I'm sayin'." She smirked as she watched him smile in return. "What?"

"You. You're just very 'you'," Amelia replied as she sat up, bringing her knees to her chest. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So you can tolerate my innuendos?" She laughed as momentarily buried her face in her knees.

"I've been tolerating them for, oh, five months now." He winked as she lifted her head up again, quickly lowering back down. "I can't quit blushing. Sorry not sorry."

"Am I the first to ever say stuff like that to you before?" She lifted up once more, nodding, her cheeks a bright rosy pink. "Well no wonder you blush at all of that. I didn't know."

"I just never experienced flirting, or anyone flirting toward me at least, not from anyone that I liked; not until you. I might be 34 or 35, I like to think of myself as that young, but I'm sure you can image that NASA, while full of brilliant people, there weren't a lot of flirts there." _So Wolf never said anything like that to her. 'Hey you're attractive and smart, let's see how this works out.' How romantic. _"I'm more used to it now, no worries."

"And it's not super offensive to you? Remember Amelia, I made a move once and you seemed disgusted that someone would call you 'cute'." She grinned.

"No, I'm not offended, and do _you_ remember that you tried to break in?!" He bit his bottom lip, looking at her. "How was I supposed to react? I didn't know you then. You had literally invaded my territory and you were super forward."

"Well, I'm glad you're into it, 'cause I've grown accustomed to that blush." They softly stared at each other.

"You have?" He nodded, switching his gaze from cheek to cheek.

"Yes." Cooper pulled her legs from their bent position, straightening them out over him. "I have."

"Oh," she whispered as if she was shocked. "Okay." She felt the blush rise to her cheeks again, knowing he'd watched it happen. He laughed in that slow, soft way that he did sometimes.

His left arm slide under her knees, his right wrapping around her back. He didn't speak as he pulled her into his arms, standing up. He stayed in place as Amelia lazily put her right hand on his left shoulder. "Where're we going?" She brought her lips to his neck, laying a light kiss right at his pulse. She felt his hold on her tighten.

"Where do you think?"


	7. Chapter 7: Iumenta

Dear readers, thank you for the lovely reviews! Keep it up... I like to read them! Also, if you have any questions, message me! One reader messaged me and felt bad about it - don't! I like to answer your questions (without spoilers).

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 7: Iumenta

Amelia was the first to wake up, happy to watch him sleep for only a moment before she decided she would welcome him to the morning. She sat up and gently moved toward him, careful not to disturb his sleep then. She was finally close enough; she leaned down and kissed him, moving away as she watched his eyes flutter open. "Hey."

"Hey," he whispered back, reaching up to push her hair from her face. Neither wanted to speak, the moment too perfect. She instead laid back down next to him, close, his arm wrapped around her. Amelia held the hand that held her, and heard Cooper sigh. "Want to go explore a little today?"

"That sounds fun." He watched as she snuggled back into him.

"One of the boys can give us the lowdown on the weather." Amelia had to think about 'boys' for a moment before realizing that he was referring to TARS and CASE. "We'll go on the ATV. We can get some samples, take some pictures, ya know. Make a day out of it." He felt Amelia move her fingers over his knuckles. "This is nice, though."

"Yes it is," she replied as she pulled the sheets up around them. Amelia took a deep breath, knowing that they needed to get ready for the day, but it was just so perfect where they were right then. "We need to get ready." She attempted to get up, but Cooper held her down.

"Just five more minutes like this, please?" She obliged, smiling. "Or twenty."

* * *

"All set?" he asked as she walked out the door.

"Everything's packed up: lunch, cameras, blankets, sample boxes, and you got the guns and spare bullets, right?" He nodded as she got closet to the ATV.

"We're ready, I guess." Amelia handed him the bags and he secured them to the back. "Nice and sunny out today, huh?"

"It's beautiful out," Amelia agreed as she hopped on the ATV. Cooper finished securing the bags and got on the ATV in front of Amelia, feeling her arms wrap around his waist as he started it up.

"Hang on!" he yelled as he put his foot on the gas.

* * *

**2 weeks and 6 days until the launch of the Endurance Mission**

_"So, um, this will be your apartment until we leave,"_ Amelia said as she guided Cooper into the living space. _"Doyle's right next door and Rom's across the hall."_ She watched as he slung his backpack onto the couch._ "I'm next to Rom."_

She watched as he weakly looked around the first room. _"I'm only gonna be here for a little bit - do I really need all this?"_ Amelia could tell that he had been emotionally drained - he had just said goodbye to his children and he wouldn't be back for years. As little trust as she had in him, she did feel sorry for him in that moment.

_"Is there anything you need?"_ she asked, ignoring his earlier question.

_"I think I'm good right now, but thanks."_ Amelia walked toward the door.

_"Get some sleep - meetings start tomorrow,"_ she reminded him, crossing her arms.

_"See you then,"_ she heard him say. Amelia's heart sank for him just from his tone.

* * *

They walked slowly hand in hand through the flat land. The tall grass was beautiful, but was also scary, considering that they were in unknown territory; Cooper seemed to not be bothered by it, but of course he wasn't.

"We need to get samples of this grass, remind me later." Even though the sun was beating down, the cold still won the battle.

"I suspect I'll be planting all the way out here. Good thing I'll have those bots and automatic combines they're supposed to be sending in, right?"

"You never had to do all that on your own, did you?" He shook his head.

"No, I had everything programed, I just oversaw, but there was a lot to oversee, took up a lot of time. 500 plus acres of corn, I couldn't've done it all by myself, or even with the few seasonal farmhands I had. I programmed the combines to harvest on their own." Cooper thought back to that moment when the combines all ventured to his front porch. "You're gonna get to see how all this works, though."

"I'm excited to," she replied, squeezing his hand tighter. "What do they want you to put out here besides trees and corn?"

"Okra, half runners, basics right now; nothing fancy." Amelia nodded. "Ya know, I used to think I hated this. It's not half bad compared to not knowing if you're gonna make it or not being up there."

"I don't know if I ever want to go up there again, either, but Cooper, zero gravity was the most magical thing I think I've ever experienced." That first time she'd felt her feet rise up from under her, swimming through air had been phenomenal.

"I'm not sayin' I'd never go up there again, because I might, but I'm never gonna travel into the unknown again." It had cost him too much the last time, and he wasn't going to let it cost him anything ever again.

"I wouldn't allow you go into the unknown again, don't worry." Cooper laughed. _Always in charge_, but that was alright with him.

"You wouldn't allow it? My, my, Dr. Brand, so controlling." She bit her bottom lip in frustration.

"Ha ha, Cooper; no, I wouldn't allow it, I don't even want to think..." He smiled as she struggled to find the words, flattered.

"I know." _She doesn't want to experience that all over again, Coop._ "I won't."

"You're right, you won't." She stared straight forward. "I think I see trees ahead."

Cooper saw what she was talking about. "Yeah, about a mile away. We can check 'em out."

"That will be a good opportunity to get samples," Amelia reminded him as they turned around and went back toward the ATV.

* * *

"Everything is barren, understandably so, what with this weather and all." The trees were extremely tall, skinny trees that resembled pine trees but didn't flare out like them. The forest floor was covered in needles that had fallen off the branches.

"And we're further from the coast, if these trees are an indicator, which they should be," Cooper stated; Amelia gave him a concerned look.

"You didn't bring that rough draft map?" Now she was nervous.

"Yes, Amelia, I did," he replied as he walked toward her. "Don't worry so much."

"I can't help it." She walked away and further into the woods. "I need more samples, come with me."

Cooper caught up to her. "What are you expecting to find deeper into the woods?"

"Moss, maybe." _What could she want with moss?_ "I'd like to check it for fungus. We don't want blight number 2, or more likely something similar to it, even though the chances are extremely slim."

"No, we don't, and you just told me that you weren't letting me go into the unknown again, so we'd be shit outta luck, I guess." She smiled as she gently shoved him, as she often did. "You really try to start this, don't you?" She winked and began to run, hearing him chase after her. This was one of her favorite things to do with him - it made her feel young. She turned her head around to see how close he was. "Brand!"

"You're going to have to try harder than that, Coop!" she yelled.

"No, Amelia. STOP!" She halted and turned her had back around. Cooper then witnessed the loudest scream he had ever heard. He rushed to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Just don't look at it," he said softly, attempting to calm her. She could handle blood and gore, he knew that, but he knew that she had to be thinking of worst-case scenarios.

"What... what is that?" Amelia backed away from the dead animal, its skin terribly marred, limbs torn off. "It's got antlers like the hybrids."

"I think its one of those horse-things CASE showed me." He walked toward it as Amelia turned away to shield herself from seeing it. Cooper put his hand to the animal's chest, trying to feel for warmth. "It's been dead for less that 24 hours. I'd say something got it last night."

"What?" He continued to examine the animal - bite marks were scattered across its body. Then he saw the evidence that confirmed his fears - paw prints, one that he knew the shape of very well.

"Shit," Cooper said out loud. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"What?" He had to tell her, there was no use lying.

"The beasts... they're here," he replied as he walked toward her. "Come on, let's go home."

"They're here right now?!" Amelia asked frantically. Cooper shook his head.

"No, it's not close enough to sundown, but I'm done for the day." Amelia agreed - she was done, too.

* * *

"We can't kill them all, there's no point in that, but they're just going to inch closer and closer to us. They're remarkably brave; we were the first humans that the ones at the unit had ever seen and they didn't hesitate to come after us." Amelia was huddled up on the sitting room couch, reliving having to literally shoot them off of Cooper. "These obviously aren't from the same pack, but if they're anything like their cousins back at base, they'll start coming toward the house."

"What do we do? Are they everywhere on this planet or at least this continent? If they attack people, they have to be eradicated." She was right, but there were consequences.

"If you wipe out the majority of them, how is it going to alter their food chain? Who knows, maybe there is an animal even bigger that goes after them, or maybe they prey on things that we haven't seen - some other animal - that is just as dangerous. Then you've got more of those." Cooper was trying to look at it from both angles, but it was difficult.

"We've got to let headquarters know. They need to know that these things are everywhere. If they want to build towns here where people can feel safe to walk on the sidewalks at night, they've got to go."

Cooper heard a snap in his head, like a good idea. "The shields! If they can't get in, no one can get hurt." Amelia shook her head.

"But then it makes it a hassle to leave. With us it was fine, but this place will likely be industrialized: cars, tractor trailers, interstates, and you can't block people from everything." She was right, they would have to be eradicated.

"I'll message Pates now."

* * *

That afternoon, three lander-like planes flew in.

"I've got crews setting up surveillance all over the woods now. I'll have drones cover the area nightly, too." Pates made a few notes on his tablet. "They only come out at night, right?"

"From what we have experienced, yes, they begin to appear at dusk" Cooper responded, watching teams drive toward the woods. "This is fucking unbelievable. Sorry for my language, but it is."

"No, Cooper, I understand. You all had to fight them off on your own before." Pates looked at Amelia, she'd been silent the entire meeting. "Are you okay, Dr. Brand?"

Amelia mustered up a closed-mouth smile. "Yeah. Well... I will be." She looked as if she was far away, lost in thought somewhere.

"I just-" Cooper laughed to himself, hands on his hips, "that was the last thing either of us needed to run into right now." Cooper looked over at Amelia. She was still on the couch, looking into nothingness. Cooper motioned for Pates to come outside with him. "Sit down here, Pates. Lemme tell you somethin'."

They both sat down on a bench on the front porch. "Amelia's got a special dislike for those things. The first time we saw one, I shot it down and ran with her over my shoulder back to the unit, then another time she had to stop them from nearly killing me. Not long before you all got here, actually. Well, she shot and killed six of 'em; she's an impressive shot, by the way. Anyway, we've had to deal with those things since I got here. She never ventured out far enough by herself to see them before I arrived."

"That's natural that she would dislike them," Pates replied, "I think I'd hate anything that tried to kill the kids or Hodge."

"Bingo." Cooper watched as robots much more advanced than TARS and CASE walked across the fields, humans at their sides. "She's got this fear of somehow losing me to some sort of tragic death, which is understandable considering what I- well, what I'm saying is that she's going to be paranoid until something gets done about this. She's gonna want a rough estimate of how many of these things there are in the area, and she's going to want to know whenever one is killed."

"The largest shield we could install would have a one mile radius." That was bigger than what they'd had before.

"That would be great," Cooper nearly whispered. "She's so determined to get work done - she thrives on it, making a new discovery. She won't leave this house if something drastic doesn't happen."

Pates said with a sigh. "I am so sorry about all of this."

"Not your fault, man. Not your fault. We went lookin' for nature, a new home; we found it. No one said it would be easy."

"No," Pates paused, sadly chuckling, "no, they did not." Pates looked over at Cooper. "You two have had one hard blow after the other, haven't you?"

"Big and small," Cooper replied, "Just since we've got here we've realized we won't be getting much done until the cold weather goes out, which could be a while, and now this." Cooper heard something much like a helicopter. "Did you send out for more crews?"

"I didn't." Both of the men got up and walked out from under the porch. "Sweet Jesus."

"Hart?" Cooper guessed.

"Yep. Right on the money." Cooper and Pates waited as the very-modern helicopter landed. "Why is she here? There's nothing she can do about this."

"She just likes to have her nose in everyone's business. She might be over NASA, but she really has no business here with this situation. Sure, fly in for a meeting about this tomorrow or in a few days, but to jump in now?" They both watched as she exited the aircraft.

"Hi, boys!" Cooper thought she sounded a little too thrilled to be there, especially over what they were dealing with.

"Hey, Dr. Hart," Cooper muttered, "Come on in." Pates and Hart followed Cooper back into the house. "Sit down, we'll tell ya what we know."

Amelia saw Hart walk into the house and froze. _What is she doing here?_ She shot up from her spot on the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, Dr. Brand! You're here!" Hart smiled at her in that way that creeped her out.

_Where else would I be?_ "Yeah, I was just in the other room." Amelia sat down at the kitchen table, everyone following her lead.

"Dr. Hart, Cooper messaged me about the incident and I brought crew out as quickly as I cou-"

"Well yes Ted, I know that." _What a bitch,_ Amelia thought.

"I think he's just trying to tell you what the play by play has been," Amelia blurted out, everyone staring at her.

"Yeah, um, so we got crews out here quickly, and they're setting up surveillance throughout the forest right now, and I was just about to message them to put up poles in the fields to attach surveillance equipment to. Oh, and a shield," Ted muttered.

Hart sat up straight and smiled as if she was the only smart one at the table. "A shield?"

"Yeah, a shield. There's a lot of research we're going to have to conduct at night and I don't want to risk one of those things coming up to the house," Cooper explained calmly. Hart rolled her eyes.

"They won't come up to the house," she retorted, looking at Amelia.

"They came up to the unit. They ran right up to Cooper and attacked him. They've never seen humans before and they're not scared at all; of course they'll come up to the house," Amelia replied to Hart, leaning over the table slightly. "Look, if we're going to get any research done, I'm going to need that shield. You haven't had to deal with these little bastards face to face, and for your sake, I hope you don't have to, but I have. I know what I'm talking about." Cooper was happily surprised to see her stand up for herself. She'd been too shy to since the stations had been coming in.

"Dr. Brand, don't you think you're overreacting?" Hart replied; Amelia scoffed at her.

"Okay, Lynn, I'll tell you what; we'll give you a gun and you can go out to the woods at sunset. Let me know how it works out for you." Amelia was smiling evilly now.

"Dr. Brand!" Pates had pushed his seat back to get a better view of the action.

"You know, Dr. Hart, to act like you want the best for us, _especially_ for Cooper, you're doing a terrible job at it. We are all you've got as far as expert advise on what it's actually like to deal with anything on this planet, or anything about having your feet on rock for that matter, so if you want our help, you'll let the crews put up the shield." Cooper felt like clapping for her at this point.

"We'll do the shield," Hart said in a defeated tone, looking over at Pates. "Mr. Pates, go make sure the crews start on it now."

"On it." Pates got up from the table and walked out the door.

"I think we've had enough for today. Maybe you can take some time to calm down, Dr. Brand," Hart stated, looking directly at Amelia.

Amelia smiled more gently this time. "Oh, you've seen nothing," she said as she got up from the table, stood up straight and went upstairs.

"Is she alright?" Cooper had to stop himself from smiling.

"Of course, she's fine. She's just very passionate about things when she knows she's right."


	8. Chapter 8: Reprobaverunt

Dear reviewers: were you reading my mind? I'm going to have to completely turn this story around. Although, I do have an idea for a new one after I finish up this series! ;) Veers off from the original story quite a bit, but I think it's worth exploring.

Thank you for the reviews and happy reading!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 8: Reprobaverunt

"Wow, Amelia! You were on fire! I liked it!" Cooper stood next to her. "It was sexy," he whispered with humor in his voice, putting a hand on her back. "As long as you're not mad at me I'll take it." Amelia laughed and looked up at him.

She smiled - a genuine smile this time - at him. "You only make me angry sometimes," she replied, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Not very often at all, she was just making me really mad since I realized how obsessed she was, anyway. Interrupting Pates like he was an idiot was the final straw." Cooper smugly smiled to himself, happy to see this side of her again, not directed toward him, at least.

"So, you _are_ jealous." Cooper chuckled as he watched Amelia shake her head.

"No, I'm just very territorial." She looked back out the window as everyone left.

"Oh, so that's it," he responded as he watched with her. "You don't want her taking what's yours." She laughed again.

"You're not a possession but you are mine." Things like that made Cooper's heart melt. Amelia still hid a lot of her feelings even though she didn't realize it, and that definitely as proof that she was loosening up.

"Well, I already told you that you were mine and that Tolbert couldn't have you." Tolbert hadn't tried anything, obviously so much so that it was fun to make jokes about. Each lander-plane took off, the helicopter followed.

"The shield will be good. I suspect there's a radar incase one does get in before the shield goes up?" Cooper nodded.

"According to what Pates said, yes. They'll come by and finish it up tomorrow." Amelia was pleased with that.

"This sounds terrible and greedy and selfish, but I just think they owe us, especially you, for risking our lives in such a way that we did," Amelia stated as she walked away toward the stairs. As much as Cooper hated to think that way, like he was some hero, maybe she was right. "We've had so much terror tossed our way, for them, mind you, that it's the least they could do. I'm not asking to be treated like I'm a god, because we know how you and I both feel about that, but I demand respect."

"Like military rank?" That was a perfect way of looking at it in Amelia's opinion.

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

**2 and a half weeks before take off of the Endurance mission. **

Amelia had avoided him like the plague - her father might trust him, but she sure as hell didn't. Her, Romilly, Doyle, and Cooper were sitting through strategy meetings for hours every day, discussing the 'what-ifs'. Romilly had been her closest friend through all of this, having known each other since he was an intern with her father.

Amelia asked Romilly to stay around the conference room after a meeting. _"What do you think of Cooper?"_ she asked.

_"He seems to know what he's doing, or what he'll be doing. He's very curious about all of this. He seems to think that there is more to know that what we're being told, but there isn't, you know. I am surprised that your father would ask him to go, though, considering that he has a family."_ Amelia nodded, spinning in her chair. _"What do you think?"_

_"He's curious about us, I'm curious about him. Something about him reminds me of a cowboy."_ Romilly laughed and got up from his chair to throw some scrap paper away.

_"Maybe it's the accent, that drawl he's got."_ Amelia agreed that Rom was likely right. _"I have noticed one thing, Amelia."_ She stopped spinning as Romilly walked back toward the table.

_"What?"_ Rom sat back down, a smile on his face.

_"He's either staring at who is speaking or he's staring at you."_ Amelia smiled sarcastically. _"I'm serious!"_

_"Don't be ridiculous, Romilly."_ **_He only flirted with me that first time to try and get out of the situation. _**

_"And it's not as if he's just paying attention to you, it seems as though he's fixated."_ Amelia began to spin in her chair again.

_"Yeah, right."_ If it was true, no one had looked at her like that, at least that she knew of, since Wolf. _"He's got too much going on right now to be interested in me."_

Romilly smiled, knowing Amelia well enough to know that she didn't really tolerate games with men. _"He's a good guy. If we weren't going on this journey, you maybe should've given him a chance. I think he would be a bit more foreword about it if we weren't about to leave."_

She didn't know what to think about that. As a biologist, what could she possibly have in common with him? _"Who says I'd have a chance with him or that I would want a chance with him?"_

_"Trust me, you stand a chance. We men don't just look at things for minutes on end like that unless we're interested."_ Rom thought about Taylor, the nurse in the medical ward that he had dated on and off until Professor Brand asked him to join the Endurance mission. He'd heard that she had married one of the guys in engineering, and he was happy for her. If it had worked out for them, she would have been disappointed in the long run, anyway. _"I'm not calling you a 'thing', by the way."_

Amelia didn't respond, still mulling over the fact that Cooper was apparently staring at her constantly. Why did it feel so weird? Maybe it was the spinning. _"Doyle's noticed it too, just so you know."_

_"Jesus! Really?!" _She stopped spinning again, realizing that her heart had sped up just thinking about him being interested in her._** But Wolf,** _she thought, _**there's still a chance that Wolf is alive.** _Wolf and her matched, if that made any sense. Guys like Cooper were ones that she usually got in arguments with, and she'd already had one argument with him.

_"Amelia, just accept it. There's really not going to be anytime to act on it, anyway."_ Rom was right.

* * *

Cooper watched from the bedroom doorway as Amelia got ready. She was quick about it, but there was something to be said about the difference in how men and women got themselves dressed.

"I think that whoever invented bras must've come up with them as devices for torture," Cooper said aloud as Amelia put a shirt on.

"You're telling me!" she said, slipping the shirt over her head. "And as soon as you find one you like you'll never find another one like it."

"I wouldn't know, but thank you for informing me. I'll keep it in mind. But those are comfortable, as you've told me before." She knew he was referring to her leggings as she pulled them on, and thought back to that moment when Cooper had asked about them only to tell her they made her ass look good. She'd taken to wearing them more often since then.

"Yeah, men have all the luck in clothing, or anything, really," she reminded him, "I guess it's different now, but you know how it was before everything tanked - if you were an educated white male, the world was yours."

"Wow, we went from talking about leggings to gender politics in fifteen seconds. That was impressive." Amelia smiled as she put on her socks. "So you're saying that your dad and I had it easy?"

"No, I just mean that you had it easi_er _than most when it came to most situations. Sorry to take a fun conversation and tank it, it's just what I'm best at," she giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Quit looking at yourself Amelia," Cooper joked, trying to get her to leave with him.

"I'm not staring at myself, just making sure my hair was okay." She walked toward him and they headed down the stairs.

"Why are you concerned about your hair? It's dark and we're going outside." Amelia was ahead of him, grabbing jackets from the coat closet as soon as her feet hit the floor. "It warmed up today, you know, even though it's just a front according to TARS. We might not need the jackets." Amelia handed his to him. "Okay," he replied, knowing that her handing it to him meant that he should wear it anyway. Cooper watched as she put on her own jacket.

"But I'm going out there with you," she whispered as she turned around and reached to the top of the closet for blankets, "just for fun, not because I've got to get some samples to run into my lab."

Cooper smiled to himself, struck by the meaning of that statement.

"You know I don't care about that, right?" They walked outside and stood on the porch, the screen door making a thudding creak when it slammed against the frame.

"You would if I never did anything about it, and you thought it was cute - I saw you smile." Cooper nodded, silently admitting that she'd caught him. "See?"

Cooper gently took her hand as they walked away from the house.

"The shield's up, right?" Amelia asked, even though she knew it was - she just wanted to hear it out loud.

"Yep. It's up. We've got a two mile diameter. Thank God for Pates, right?" Amelia looked up at the stars, still trying to get used to their order.

"Yeah, really," she replied as they walked along.

They eventually stopped about 100 yards from the house and put the blankets down. They laid next to each other still holding hands.

"Have you been thinking about what I asked you to think about?" Cooper didn't dare say the actual word. He'd leave that up to her.

"I have been, yes. I'm not completely warmed up to the idea, yet, if I'm being honest." Cooper kept staring at the sky. "I didn't say I was totally against it, either. I just need to weigh out a few more things, because yes, we're in a more normal situation now, but we've also got the beasts to deal with, so that's something to consider. It's tough."

"Well, since we're being honest here, babies, kids... whatever, they are lot of work. It's difficult, but there is absolutely nothing like a baby smiling at you. Not because you smiled or did something funny, but because it's you, their parent, and they love you." Cooper let out a large breath, still looking into the sky. "I know you think I want this because I feel guilty about leaving Tom and Murph."

Amelia stared into the sky along with him. "I do fear that, yes."

"Well, maybe it's a little true, but wholly, it's not," he said softly, piecing the words together carefully. "But I do wanna make it right. The second chance... you know, I looked forward to watching them grow up, and I didn't fully get to. I never actually got to be a grandfather - God, that sounds weird."

"No, it doesn't. It's not your fault, it's not our-"

"Then why does it feel like it?! Why do I feel like I missed out?!" Cooper turned to look at her, and Amelia couldn't bear to face him.

"Because you did! But it was that or watch humanity fail, and you made that decision - the right one!" He had to know that she didn't have all the answers.

"Look at me, Amelia. Look at me." She stayed still, knowing that the emotions that were going to overflow might be too much to bear. "Amelia." She finally turned to face him. "I know that, I know that it was the right decision, but dammit, it hurts. Hurts every fucking day and I want it to stop."

"Cooper, I can't stop that pain, and bringing a new life into this world isn't going to stop that pain. Would it give you a second chance? Yeah, maybe it would, but it's not going to erase the past. You yourself have said we shouldn't forget what got us here." _The mistakes of my father, and your daughter cleaning them up... it saved the human race. _"Cooper, look, I don't know how this feels for you, I can't imagine what it must feel like. All of my pains, you have felt them, but I don't know what it must feel like to be in your shoes."

Cooper wasn't sure if he should scream, cry, or let the sadness wash over him like a flood. "I don't want you to feel what it feels like. I don't want you to feel this."

"Not a day goes by that I don't curse and praise my father for what he did." Cooper watched as she wiped a single tear away. "My dad sent me into space knowing that he would never see me again. I guess that you and I have a lot more in common than you thought. Just like you left your children to go into the unknown to save them, my father sent me into the unknown to save me."

Cooper had never thought of himself as similar to Professor Brand, but he could now see that comparison. "Two fathers made two similar decisions to save the hope that still existed within their daughters."

"I sometimes wonder if I was ever really worthy of this." Amelia looked down at their entwined hands.

"Do you regret being here?" Cooper asked her as she pulled her hand away from him. She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.

"No, and that's why it's so confusing!" she exclaimed, trying not to sob. "I curse him for lying to me and I praise him for trusting you with my life!" Cooper rested his hand on the small of her back. "When you and Murph left after you'd stumbled upon us, I was confused as to why my father thought it was a good idea to have someone who hand't piloted in a nearly a decade and a quarter to lead the team on the a mission."

_Is this about to be an insult?_ Cooper wondered.

"But he told me that he had faith in you, that you were an unbelievably clever student and that your mind worked in a way that not even his could." She remembered the conversation as if it were yesterday, and in a way, it had been yesterday. "He said that I would be impressed with your resourcefulness and that eventually I would come to understand why he asked you to pilot the Endurance; I understood why as soon as you started to dock the lander after Mann, well, nearly destroyed any chance we had."

Cooper knew that this wasn't a time for him to talk, that Amelia needed to get it all out. "As soon as we were back aboard, I saw the man that my father tried to convince me that you were... that you _are_." She watched her thumbs rotated around each other. "You are selfless, accomplished, driven, determined, intelligent, resourceful, and brave." She felt her body push forward in a sob.

The silence prompted him to speak. "Don't do this to yourself." She seemed to completely ignore him.

"The fact that I can't give you what you want torments me, because you deserve so much more." Cooper lightly tugged at her back, signaling for her to come closer, and she curled into him. "You deserve someone who can give you the only thing I've ever heard you ask of me the entire time we have known each other."

"Amelia, listen to me: I love you. I know you aren't as strong as you want everyone to think you are, life has thrown you one curveball after the other, but somehow you've managed to hit them out of the park. You are everything that I want. I don't care that we can't do this the organic way, I really don't. I swear," he replied.

"I know that." At least she knew that he didn't expect her to do something that wasn't possible. "But I'm not sure that I am everything that you believe me to be. You have a much higher opinion of me than what you should." Cooper disagreed completely. "You have proven your love for me over and over and I'm a coward."

"You are _not _a coward. How could I not have a high opinion of the reason that I'm here? What can I do to make you realize that I am the one who isn't worthy of you? You were right the entire time, and I was trying to rely on only what I could see, not what I could feel." She continued to cry. "Amelia, please don't do this."

* * *

**One week until the launch of the Lazarus Mission**

_"Don't leave me, please,"_ Amelia whispered, laying next to Wolf. _"Stay."_

_"Amelia, you know that I have to go,"_ he reminded her. _"I have to."_

_"You volunteered, Wolf."_ Amelia sat up in the bed, covering herself up.

_"I can't drop out now, and besides, this is what I've been waiting on my whole life... what I've trained for."_ Amelia felt a hand in her long frizzy hair._ "Amelia..."_

_"No, don't,"_ she reprimanded, pulling her hair around in front of her. _"I don't know why I keep telling myself that I can make you stay. You're not going to, and this is probably one of the last moments we'll have together."_ Amelia teared up as she turned around and looked at him. She'd miss his red hair and their smart conversations.

_"You knew this was coming,"_ Wolf said as they looked at each other. _"Look, I don't know what I can tell you that will make you feel better; I don't know if there is anything to make you feel better."_

_"Tell me that you'll stay, that you won't leave me,"_ Amelia begged, clutching his shoulders._ "Wolf, I... I can't lose you. You're the only one I have here."_

_"You've got your dad."_ She shook her head.

_"I can't tell him the things that I tell you, the things that go on in my head and heart. He wouldn't understand."_ Wolf smiled weakly.

_"Why do you separate the two, Amelia? Aren't they the same?"_ he asked, confused.

_"No, because my head says that you should go out there and my heart says that you should stay."_ She'd been trying to get used to the idea of him being gone.

_"Your heart doesn't think, Amelia, it's just one emotion overpowering another,"_ he said softly.

_"Don't you think that I know that?! Dammit, Wolf! You aren't making this any easier."_ Amelia cried into her pillow.

_"You'll move on. That's what humans do."_ She pulled up from the pillow, staring him down. _"You'll meet someone else."_

_"So if I left tomorrow you'd just move on?"_ She got up from the bed, finding a blanket to wrap herself in.

_"Eventually, yeah, I would."_ Amelia chucked a pillow at him. _"Amelia!"_

_"Don't 'Amelia' me, asshole! And to think that I love you! Ha! Why do I love you? Who in the hell knows!"_ She began picking up her clothes and walked to the bathroom to get dressed.

* * *

"You and Dr. Brand seemed a little drained when you got back last night," TARS observed. Cooper rolled his eyes.

"Yeah." TARS caught up to him, much like a dog when its owner walks away. "Being human isn't easy, bud."

"I know, I see you every day." That made Cooper smile gently.

"TARS, I wonder what goes on in her head. Sometimes I think I know exactly what she's thinking and it turns out that I don't." Cooper expected TARS to give him a sarcastic response.

* * *

Amelia watched from the bedroom window as Cooper and TARS walked toward the solar panels. He was moving his hands as if he was having a conversation with TARS, and Amelia was curious as to what they could be talking about, but somehow she knew.

"How can he love me like he says he does?" she asked herself out loud._ I love him like I tell him I do - what's the difference?_

She walked into the bathroom and stripped down to shower. _He loves me. Why is that so hard for me to wrap my head around? I have been loved before, and I've loved before, so why does this feel so different?_ Turning on the shower and waiting on it to heat up, Amelia looked at herself in the mirror as it steamed up - it was as if she was trying to have a conversation with herself.

_This is something that he wants, and I can't let the fear of loss stand in my way any longer. I lost my mom young, I lost my first love only to find him dead as soon as I got here, I lost my father, and I lost Cooper only for him to come back from the dead, or so it appeared. He's not going to leave me ever again, I know that. The circumstances are very different now. _Amelia walked into the shower and let the water run over her, pretending that it would wash away her fears.

The way he had reassured her that he loved her last night under the stars only then sunk in as true. He held her then and throughout the entire night as they slept, as if to tell her that every word he'd said had been honest. Cooper was a lot of things and a liar wasn't one of them.


	9. Chapter 9: Exspiravit

Dear readers, thank you again for the lovely reviews. I hope you all like this chapter. It's a bit of a building chapter, but that's just how it has to be. I've had this one written for about three weeks, so I'm excited to see what you guys think! Please review and thank you in advance!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 9 - Exspiravit

Amelia got out of the shower and wrapped herself in her robe. She thought she could hear Cooper downstairs, but she wasn't sure until she heard the zipper pull on his coat 'clink' against the bannister. That answers that question.

"Amelia?" Cooper half-yelled as he walked up the stairs.

"I'm up here." He walked into their room and sat down on the bed. "I saw you and TARS went outside."

"Wanted to check on the panels, see how they were holding up. Speaking of holding up, how are you doing today?" She smiled sadly as she walked toward the dresser.

"I'm sorry about last night, I guess just hearing you upset made me upset, too. You handle your emotions better than I do." Cooper didn't move and watched as she walked from the dresser into the closet.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You were being honest with me," he replied, the sad expression on her face not going away.

"And you were being honest with me. You always are." Amelia untied her robe and dressed.

"Are you going to semi-avoid me like this all day?" She looked up at him slowly, trying to decide if that had been a joke or not. By the look on his face, she decided that it hadn't been.

"I don't want to, I'm just a little ashamed by the way I acted last night. I don't know how you can even stand to talk to me right now to be honest." Cooper didn't know what he was going to have to do to convince her that she was his equal. He knew she had believed that before, but since he had suggested that they incubate one of those eggs everything had seemed to go downhill.

"Why wouldn't I want to be around you?" She slowly walked over and sat next to him on the bed. He put his hand on her knee, running his thumb across it.

Cooper slouched and looked down at the floor and decided that he was never going to mention a baby again. If no baby meant keeping her happy, it was worth it. "Thank you for last night." He had held her to him all night long - concerned about her but selfishly trying to make sure she didn't leave.

"I'm going to take care of you for the rest of our lives, you know that, right?" He watched as she nodded. "Good." She was silent, trying to think of all the ways that she didn't measure up. "We are on equal ground here, Amelia," he exclaimed as if he could read her mind. "Remember when you told me that none of these people understood you? They don't understand me, either. You are the only one who understands my journey."

"And you are the only one who understands mine," she replied breathlessly.

"Yes," Cooper whispered into her ear. "If we believe that we are not worthy of each other, that must mean we are worthy, right? You know, two negatives make a positive." He was thrilled to hear her laugh.

* * *

**2 weeks until the launch of the Endurance mission**

Amelia had been in the lab with the frozen embryos for hours, reading through some of the profiles. _"Egg donor is a former professor at Yale, as is the sperm donor,"_ she said out loud.

_"Talking to yourself now?"_ She jumped in her chair and looked up from the page to see Cooper smiling. _"Didn't mean to scare ya."_

_"What are you doing in here?"_ Amelia asked, trying to pretend that she was reading again.

_"Well, hello to you, too, Dr. Brand."_ She finally closed the binder and turned toward him. _"I just wanted to learn a little more about this,"_ he pointed around, _"incubation thing."_

She appeared uninterested, but spoke. _"What do you want to know?"_ He walked closer to her and he still had that smile on his face.

_"I'm not up on this technology here,"_ he began tapping the wall,_ "I don't understand how that could work. What about the cord? Where's it supposed to connect? If you've learned how to clone the female reproductive system, that's impressive."_ Amelia genuinely laughed, got down from her chair and motioned for him to follow her.

_"The fertilized eggs each get put into a bag made of cloned tissue that's almost like a uterus, or as close to one as we're going to get right now. That's a delicate process of placing them there, as well."_ She stopped at a shelf-like structure that had five 1-foot wide tubes that looked to be around 1 foot and a half deep. You could see the inside of each tube, only covered by glass.

_"You put 'em in here?"_ he asked. Amelia nodded and began to explain.

_"So we put a bag in each tube, and we have more of these, by the way, this is just one unit. Anyway, we put a bag in each tube, but first we'll line the tubes with cloned tissue that will embed itself to those little cutouts that are inside."_ Cooper looked into a tube, looking at what she was talking about. _"That tissue will protect the bag, give it some cushion, like a human body would, and that bag will also allow for the cord to connect to the cushion tissue. This right here,"_ she pointed to the side of the tube, _"is where we'll feed the embryo the nutrients it needs to grow. This unit also can heat itself, providing the essential warmth the embryo needs, too."_

_"Have you all done this before?"_ Cooper didn't seem to be too shocked by anything she had said.

_"There were a few female employees here that were having trouble conceiving, and they volunteered to donate their eggs to see if this would work. We got their partners in here or used donated sperm, and low and behold, it worked. It was really amazing to watch."_ Cooper looked back into a tube and then at Dr. Brand.

_"You nerd out on this, don't you?"_ He chuckled at his own joke, and looked around the room to avoid her eyes.

_"I've only devoted the last nine years to it, so yes, I do."_ He immediately regretted his words.

_"I didn't mean that in a bad way,"_ he retorted, trying to make sure that came across as light and soft as possible.

_"I know,"_ she replied as she walked past him and back toward her desk area.

_"You were 25 when you started working on this?"_ Cooper seemed to be amazed. **_Pretty accomplished for a 25 year old._**

_"Yeah, once Laura Miller was gone I took over, but she's the one who developed the idea. She sent it down to biological engineering and they worked on it for about three years until they perfected it. I'm really just the messenger."_ She turned around to see him smiling, as if he was impressed. _"What?"_

_"It's just kind of amazing, you know. You all have been able to take the miracle of conception and birth and turn it into something out of Area 51."_ She knew that he just had a bad way of describing things and that he wasn't trying to offend her. Remain calm, Amelia. He just wants to know how this works. _"But I guess this contraption is a miracle itself, and anything it made would be miracle."_

_"I don't know if I would call conception and childbirth a miracle,"_ she replied with a laugh, leaning up against the wall, five feet away from him. _"It's really pretty simple. It happens all the time."_ Cooper lightly laughed to himself. _"Children aren't miracles, they're part of the cycle. We're all part of the cycle."_

_"Well, if you ever have children of your own, Dr. Brand, let me know if you still believe it's just 'part of the cycle', as you said."_ She smirked, trying to hide the look that she feared might pop up on her face.** _No, I'll never get to figure that out on my own_.** Amelia looked back at him, trying to push what Rom has said from her mind.

* * *

_It can't be that bad. And he's done this before. He knows what to do, I can learn._

Amelia looked up from her research and across the table at Cooper. They'd just finished dinner and he was back to writing. She was glad he'd found a hobby he enjoyed. He seemed to be deep into whatever he was writing about; maybe he was writing about their last few days. "I see you lookin' at me."

"I was," she replied as he looked up from the tablet. "You just looked like you were enjoying yourself."

"I still am." She smiled, and shyly took her gaze away from his eyes.

"I didn't mean to disturb you." Cooper flipped the cover back onto the screen.

"You didn't disturb me." Amelia was glad to hear it. "How's the dirt comin'?" She giggled as she looked back down at her papers.

"We're going to have to really work on making sure this soil is full of nutrients. I would like to look at some moss, but I'm a little scared to go back there." That dead horse-creature was enough for her to know that the woods weren't safe.

"You don't have to go out there alone, Amelia." She knew that. "And they don't come out in the daylight."

"But it's still terrifying," she replied as she pushed the stack to the side.

"I know," Cooper said gently, looking at her with caring eyes. That look was enough to make her weak at the knees. How did he still keep her swooning, and better yet, when had she become a swooner? "We haven't tested out that screen yet if you want to check that out."

"Yeah, sure." What was he planning on?

"We could watch a movie, if I remember how to even watch a movie." She giggled as she got up from the table.

She carried the papers to the kitchen island. "Is wine a good substitute for popcorn?" Cooper walked toward the fridge and pulled out a bottle.

"What a good observation." She walked toward the cabinet with the glasses and took out a highball and wine glass "Bring those over here."

Amelia walked toward him with the glasses. "I'll watch anything that isn't scary," she explained.

"Considering the last time we were able to watch a movie was when I was 15, which means you were 9 or 8, how do you know you wouldn't like scary movies?" The government had swept through every home, taking whatever televisions, computers and cell phones they could get their hands on to use and make supplies for the war. The only computers still in existence by the time they had left were either government property, and a few people, Cooper being one of them, had safely hidden their laptops from being taken. After the fall of the military, he'd been able to get his hands on a few more.

"I just know." Amelia thought about how often her father took her to the movies when she was still little. They watched every cartoon movie that came out. Cooper poured the the wine in the glass before putting a few ice cubes in the highball glass for whisky. "Let's go try this thing out," Amelia said as she picked up her glass and walked up the stairs. Cooper silently followed.

"I took a girl to watch a scary movie once. We were 14 and snuck in. It was rated R, so we weren't getting in otherwise." Amelia turned around as soon as she got to the top of the stairs.

"Of course you did!" Cooper smiled.

"My dad would've been furious if he'd found out." Amelia sat down on the couch, smiling at him.

"Do you remember her name?" Cooper shook his head. "I bet you pissed off a lot of girls."

"I thought you'd already decided that a while ago," Cooper replied as he sat down next to her. He picked up the tiny remote from the coffee table. "Let's see if Pates knows what he's talking about."

"I'm sure he does." Cooper pressed a button and watched as a screen appeared from lights in a small pod. Cooper pushed a few more buttons, finally getting to the library.

"Pates says that everything you can imagine is here, like the internet we grew up with, well, that I did." Amelia relaxed into the couch.

"I miss the internet," Amelia said with a sigh, causing Cooper to chuckle.

"Do you even remember what you did on the internet? You were rather young, you know." Amelia put her glass down on the coffee table.

"I was nine... I wasn't a baby. I played a lot of puzzle games." He could see a young Amelia being obsessed with Sudoku or something like it. "What did you do?"

"I think we've clarified what I was up to during my teenage years, Dr. Brand." Amelia began to laugh so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Why did I even ask? I should have known!" Cooper laughed back and put down the remote. "How had I not guessed that?"

"I can try and find one of those on here if that's what you're interested in," he suggested jokingly. She shook her head furiously, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"No, no, no, no, no!" They both reached for the remote, Amelia getting to it first, continuing to laugh. "No!" She stuffed the remote into her shirt.

"Just because you put it there doesn't mean I'm not gonna get it, and I was kidding." Amelia tried to stop laughing.

"I know, I know." She picked up her glass and took another sip.

"So you just wanted a fun little fight, then, right? I know what you're up to." Amelia pulled the remote from her shirt and began to scroll through different genres.

"I remember overhearing some people at headquarters talking about it... ya know. I didn't know what it was, so I asked my dad. I was 12 and I'm sure you can imagine that it was an awkward conversation." Cooper looked up at the screen.

"That sounds like an awkward topic at any age, Amelia." She nodded in agreement.

"John Brand was mortified, let me tell you that. He found out who it was with security footage and I was told that they got a firm warning to never talk about it in the halls again." He watched as she selected the comedy section.

"Of course he was. As a dad, you want to shield your kids from that kind of stuff, especially girls." Amelia couldn't help but feel sorry for him, knowing he had to be thinking about protecting Tom and Murph from everything he thought he should. "Because I sure as hell remember what I was like as a teenager, and I wouldn't've wanted Tom to turn out like that, and I wouldn't've wanted Murph to date anyone like that, either."

"You teach kids what to do based on your past missteps and failures." Cooper looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah; exactly." He had almost immediately regretted that he had even said anything about kids, not even noticing that he had until he had said it, but her reply was enough to assure him that it was okay.

"Okay, so what movie are we going to watch?"

* * *

**One month before Jill's death**

_"Jill, Tom's startin' to ask questions,"_ Cooper said, looking at his wife as she sat in their bed.

_"Coop, he knows something is wrong, we should just tell him."_ Jill held his hand, squeezing it weakly.

_"And your dad, God bless the man,"_ Cooper continued, looking down at his feet. _"Lost his wife, his son and now..."_ Cooper began to cry and he felt Jill's hand gently land on his face.

_"Shhh, Coop. Cooper, you're gonna make it. And you've got Murphy to keep you occupied."_ Cooper smiled gently. _"She's the one who will have a lot of questions someday, and you'll need to answer them."_

_"Jill, don't talk like that,"_ he begged, the look on her face begging to be taken from the pain.

_"But it's the truth. You're going to have to tell her about me; you, dad and Tom will. You can do it. Be brave."_ Cooper nodded as he wiped the tears away. _"And be happy."_

_"How am I going to be happy without you?"_ She began to help him wipe away his tears.

_"One day you'll notice that you're happy again; you will. You'll know when the time's right. You'll feel it... you'll know. You'll know."_

_"I'm never moving on from you, Jill. Do you hear me? Never."_ Cooper could see that she was about to cry, too. _"Never."_

_"I'm not askin' you to move on, Cooper. I'm asking you to be open to happiness again. If the kids see you happy, they'll be happy. I'm always gonna be right here,"_ she said, pointing to his heart. _"But that doesn't mean that there isn't room for someone else in there."_

_"Don't say things like that,"_ Cooper begged, moving her hair from her face. _"Please."_

_"I want you to be happy, Cooper. I want you to be happy because I love you. She's out there, and Tom and Murph and Dad will love her.; you will, too."_

_"No one is every gonna be able to replace their mom, his daughter... my wife."_ Cooper held her hand between both of his, pressed against his forehead.

_"I'm not being replaced, I just want my family to be happy again."_ Cooper opened his eyes, remembering a healthier Jill. _"Cooper, remember the crash?"_

_"Who could forget that?"_ he laughed through the tears. _"Yes."_

"And remember what I said? I said that it happened for a reason, as painful as it was." Cooper heard Murph's cries from the hallway. Donald had her and knew how to calm her down quickly.

_"Don't try and tell me that this is happenin' for a reason, Jill."_ Cooper watched as she nodded.

_"What can happen will happen,"_ she paused, watching him, soaking in his features. She knew he was doing the same. _"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Cooper, for some reason, this has been my destiny. I brought two beautiful children into this world, and that's enough for me. This is the end of my journey, but it's not the end of yours. There are so many pages left to fill."_ Jill smiled to herself. _"These stories of me, of us together, those are the only memories Murphy is going to have, most of what Tom will have."_

_"And they've got to grow up without their mom,"_ Cooper whispered, crying again.

_"They're going to need their dad, Coop. You've got to be brave."_


	10. Chapter 10: Fide

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 10 - Fide

Amelia had fallen asleep on Cooper, who had stayed up to finish the movie. "God, you go out like a light now, don't ya?" he whispered, laying down gently, making sure that the movement didn't wake her. The couch was deep, giving them both enough room to be comfortable. Amelia's head rested on his chest, right against his heart.

"What am I going to do with you?" he whispered again, smiling. "What do I need to do to convince you that you are absolutely perfect?" He knew she wasn't a light sleeper.

He could feel her even breaths softly against his chest. "I love you too damn much to ever push you into anything. You know that right? I just thought it might be nice."

Cooper grabbed a throw pillow from behind him and put it under his head. "I wish you weren't so scared of losing me. I'm going nowhere, but I understand where that fear comes from."

"It's weird that I'm telling you all this stuff while you're asleep, but at least I can say it without you arguing that you don't deserve me, because trust me, Amelia, you deserve me - you deserve better. We're both so damaged, and you deserve to be with someone who isn't, but I love you too much and am too selfish to ever think of doing that. I think you feel the same way, or at least I hope you do." He felt her hand move slightly on his shoulder but knew that she wasn't awake.

"I know you love me or you wouldn't do the things you do for me. You give me a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to go to sleep at night. You're everything to me, you're just also very confusing, but I know I confuse you, too. That's what couples do, I guess. Before you, it had been what felt like nine and a half years since I had done the relationship thing, so I'm learning how to do this all over." Cooper watched as she shifted her head on his chest. He waited a few moments before talking again.

"I guess this baby thing... to me was the opportunity to get to have that experience again, and because I love you. That's what kids are made of, love. At least any child of ours would be. I remember when you showed me how those incubators worked, and you said you didn't believe that children were miracles, but that we were all just part of a cycle. Maybe in a scientific way that's true, but I wanted you to be able to see that it was a miracle. I felt sorry for you when you told me that, because that's when I knew that something had hurt you and changed your mind about everything. Now I know what hurt you back then: Wolf leaving. You might think it's because your body can't do it, but you know that's not the whole reason. You loved him and thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with him, then he left and you were sure that you would never love another and you devoted every waking moment to your work. Then here I come, waltzing in, or trudging in, whatever. And I've obviously been hurt, too, Amelia. Neither of us are each others first love, but we're each others last. That's why I wanted this baby, because I love you."

Cooper looked at her one more time before closing his eyes and going to sleep. She looked too peaceful to move her - the couch would just have to do.

* * *

**"We're both so damaged, and you deserve to be with someone who isn't, but I love you too much and am too selfish to ever think of doing that. I think you feel the same way, or at least I hope you do.**

**"I know you love me or you wouldn't do the things you do for me. You give me a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to go to sleep at night. You're everything to me, you're just also very confusing, but I know I confuse you, too. That's what couples do, I guess. Before you, it had been what felt like nine and a half years since I had done the relationship thing, so I'm learning how to do this all over."**

Amelia woke up halfway, and tried to go back to sleep without waking Cooper. _Had he been talking?_ She was now intently listening.

**"I guess this baby thing... to me was the opportunity to get to have that experience again, and because I love you. That's what kids are made of, love. At least any child of ours would be. I remember when you showed me how those incubators worked, and you said you didn't believe that children were miracles, but that we were all just part of a cycle. Maybe in a scientific way that's true, but I wanted you to be able to see that it was a miracle. I felt sorry for you when you told me that, because that's when I knew that something had hurt you and changed your mind about everything. ****Now I know what hurt you back then: Wolf leaving. You might think it's because your body can't do it, but you know that's not the whole reason. You loved him and thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with him, then he left and you were sure that you would never love another and you devoted every waking moment to your work. Then here I come, waltzing in, or trudging in, whatever. And I've obviously been hurt, too, Amelia. Neither of us are each others first love, but we're each others last. That's why I wanted this baby, because I love you."**

She was stunned as she laid there in silence, realizing that he had finally fallen asleep.

_So that was why he wanted this_. He'd said it so many times, but every time he tried to explain himself, she came up with an excuse or distraction. Now here she was, supposedly asleep, and he'd poured his heart out to her, believing it to be the only time he could.

The more she thought about it, the less scary it seemed._ He's there for me and with me all the way, and maybe he's right about this being more than some natural cycle. This baby would be of love and I've experienced the power of love - I'm experiencing it right now. _

"Cooper," she whispered as she poked on his chest. "Wake up." She watched as his eyes opened.

"Hey," he whispered back. "Why're you awake?" She got up from the couch and held out her hand.

"This isn't comfortable, let's go get in bed. Both of our backs will be complaining in the morning if we stay here." He took her offered hand and left the couch.

"You're right." They walked out of the living room and made the short trek to their room. "I just didn't want to wake you up. You looked like you were having a good sleep."

Amelia began to turn down the bed and Cooper helped. "Yeah, it was okay." _Should I talk to him now?_ she pondered.

"You snored," he said, his voice still somewhat hoarse. "A lot."

"No, I didn't," she smiled up at him. "I don't snore." _Just do it - it's going to be just as difficult or more so in the morning._

"We're still in our clothes, by the way. Might wanna change." She nodded and they both began to change into pajamas. "I don't think sleeping in jeans is comfortable."

"It's not," Amelia replied as she pulled some flannel pajama bottoms from a drawer. She decided she was too lazy and tired to change her t-shirt, expertly taking off her bra underneath it.

"That's impressive," he stated upon watching her little trick.

"What is it with you and bras lately?" She smiled upon seeing him smile.

"I like what they hold up." Amelia's smile got bigger if that was even possible. _Do it!_

"Cooper, I," she paused, biting her bottom lip. "I..."

"Yes?" He had finished getting into pajamas and got into the bed. "You gonna get in the bed or not?"

Amelia walked over and crawled in. _You can do this. _"I heard almost everything you said back there." She heard him make some noise that she knew was of disappointment.

"Shit," he huffed, looking at her. "Why didn't you say anything? You should have said something."

"Well I am now, aren't I?" He didn't reply as she scooted closer to him. He seemed to be scared of what she could say, but pleasantly shocked by her tone. "The things you said about why I was hurt, you were right. I hadn't even realized it until then. My fear of having a child is rooted in my fear of abandonment."

"I'm not going anywhere." She knew that before, but now she was more sure than she had ever been.

"I know that, and I have known that." She could tell he was hanging on every last word. "I know we're damaged, but that's just part of who we are." She took his right hand and held it to her lips. "You also give me a reason to live, to wake up in the morning and to go to sleep at night." She lightly kissed his knuckles. "And you are my last love. If you hadn't come into my life when you did, I'd hate to know what would have happened to me." He still looked as if he was waiting for her to say something heart crushing. "Cooper, you said that any baby of ours would be of love, and I know what love does; I've seen it, I've felt it. I experience love every day now."

"Are you..." he stopped himself as she kissed him. She pulled away, smiling.

"Yes." He kissed her again, laughing in between each short break.

"You want this?" She nodded and began to laugh, too.

"I hadn't been listening to you. It took me pretending to be asleep in order to finally let you say what you needed to. You didn't know that I was listening - you're always honest, but you were really honest then. That's when it all clicked that this is right. It's like when I told you that I loved you, I think I had known for a long time, I just hadn't realized it. It took something big to make me realize my feelings," she explained.

* * *

"They're beginning the incubation process on one of the eggs today. Today. Holy shit." Amelia stood in the doorway of Cooper's office which was now cluttered. She tried her best not to do anything about the mess.

"You're not regretting this, are you?" She shook her head and walked toward him, hands in her pockets, noticing his smile.

"No, it's just all very, very real." Amelia looked to her right out the window. "It's going to have to sink in." Cooper had already let it sink in a while ago. "I'm excited, of course."

"Good, because I am, too," he said as he got up from the big leather office chair. "So, we're having a baby, I guess?"

"We're having a baby, you _know_," she replied, smiling. "You've got a lot to teach me, Cooper. I'm scared but excited. I've never baby-proofed anything before." Cooper was suddenly in front of her, happiness radiating off of him.

"You'll be fine - half of it's instinct." Amelia smiled and shook her head. "We're going to be alright. This little girl's gonna be the best thing that ever happened to ya, I promise."

"You're saying that you aren't? If that's how you feel," she paused, looking up at him jokingly.

"Oh, you know what I mean," he muttered as he walked back toward his desk. "When can we go take a look?"

"There won't be anything to really look at for a while, but I'm curious, too. I'd like to go next week, maybe?" Cooper seemed to be okay with that.

"When you did this on Earth, were any of them born premature and how did you know it was time? Does the water break naturally?" Cooper went back to sitting in the revolving leather chair.

"It didn't happen, but it can, I'm sure. The chances would be slim, and the units are probably much more advanced now, but when we were doing it, once we acknowledged that the baby was at a healthy weight and it would be safe to deliver, we just pulled out the tube, opened the hatch, cut the bag and pulled them out carefully. Pretty painless on the baby." She walked around to his side of the desk and sat on the structure. "That might not be what they do now, though."

"Would we be there?" he asked.

"If we wanted to be, yes, I'm sure that we could be. Pates said that they went to check on their kids all the time, and if that's the case, I'm sure they allow us to be in there when they perform the birth." CASE walked in, screen glowing.

"I heard my name. Is everything alright?" Amelia and Cooper both looked at him.

"Yeah, CASE, we're fine," Cooper replied, watching as the robot turned around. Amelia smiled. "Came in because you said _case_," he whispered, "with a completely different meaning." Cooper looked down at her shoes - little black flats. That seemed appropriate for her, and dark jeans. "No leggings today, I see. Bummer." Amelia attempted to get down from the desk. "Nuh-uh, you're staying right there where we can have a serious discussion about this." She knew he was joking but it was still one of those moments that made her heart race in the good way. "Not sayin' you don't look good in jeans, because you do," he said as he got up from the chair, standing right in front of her, hands at the top of her thighs. "I just want to make sure that you know what I prefer."

"You're not the boss of me," she replied playfully, putting a finger to his chest.

"Are you sure? Do you remember last night at all?" Cooper questioned with a smirk. Amelia threw her head back in laughter, trying to avoid his gaze. "Ah ha, so you do." His fingers delicately landed on her chin, lightly pushing down for their eyes to meet. She had tried to look relaxed, like she didn't care, knowing it would drive him crazy in the best way possible. Their lips met, hands suddenly on each other.

"So, uhm, lovebirds... your friend Pates is on his way." They immediately stopped and saw TARS at the door. "Better me than him, right?"

"Guess so, bud." Cooper huffed in frustration, and Amelia bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. "Best we get ourselves together."

"I suppose," Amelia agreed, hopping off the desk, kissing him again.

* * *

**1 week, 6 days until the launch of the Endurance Mission**

_"Brand, your father wants you in his office."_ She looked up from her notes and saw Doyle.

_"Okay. Why do I get the feeling that I'm in trouble?"_ Doyle smiled and shook his head.

_"I doubt you're in trouble. I think he just wants to talk."_ Amelia nodded and got up from her desk.

_"Still feels like I'm getting sent to the principal's office,"_ she said as she walked past him and down the hall toward her father's office. _"What could he want?"_ She saw the door was closed and knocked._ "Dad?"_

_"Ah, yes, Amelia. Come in,"_ Professor Brand exclaimed, and Amelia opened the door.

_"What's wrong?"_ she asked as she walked toward his desk, grabbing a chair and putting it in front of the desk as usual.

_"Nothing's wrong. I think it would be understandable that a father might want to spend some time with his daughter before she's to leave."_ Amelia tried not to acknowledge that she would soon be gone and may never see her father again. _"Are you ready?"_

_"No,"_ she replied honestly, _"I mean, I am but I'm not all at once."_ She watched her father's expression - his weak smile.

_"It is understandable to have some fears about this, but also it is a great journey and honor to be going on this trip. Remember what Dr. Mann said?"_ She slouched in the chair.

_"To be brave and to go into the unknown without fear."_ He nodded and turned in his chair.

_"You know that poem I love so much,"_ John Brand reminded her, _"do not go gentle into that goodnight, old-"_

_"Age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."_ They smiled at each other.

_"Be brave, Amelia. I have faith."_

* * *

Amelia stood in the guest room, knowing that before she knew it that bed would be gone and a crib would be in its place.

"Didn't think I'd ever be doing this," she whispered, turning around. She saw herself in the large mirror in the room and stood up straight.

_I think you'd be happy for me, dad... for us if you were here. Is this some kind of 'told you so' moment? _She smiled and shook her head_. I doubt it, but I think you'd be happy for us nonetheless. Who would've thought, huh? I didn't trust him one bit and now I trust him more than I trust myself._

Amelia looked at the pale blue walls and knew that would need to be changed. _Anything but pink._


	11. Chapter 11: Raptis

Hello, beautiful readers! Thank you for the kind reviews. This chapter is a little shorter, but there was nothing I could really bring over from Chapter 12 (I'm already done with Chapter 14!). Hope you enjoy this addition, and please review/message me!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II  
**Chapter 11 - Raptis

**1 week, 6 days until the launch of the Endurance Mission**

_"Cooper, how are you doing getting to know the crew? Getting along well?"_ Professor Brand asked. Cooper was walking around his office, looking at the equation.

_"I don't think we have much of a choice, now do we?"_ Cooper saw a smile appear on the older gentleman's face. _"I'm getting along with everyone just fine. Rom's got a different sense of humor, I like it. Doyle's not as talkative, and I don't think your daughter cares for me too much, sir, but we'll learn to cope, I guess."_ He saw Professor Brand smile.

_"Amelia,"_ he paused, walking over next to Cooper. _"I think Amelia's a little skeptical of you."_

_"Well, no offense, but for all the right reasons. She's been preparing for this for years and I'm gonna have a little less than 3 weeks when it is all said and done."_ Cooper thought about that look she'd given him when he walked into what he had decided was her quiet space - the embryo lab. _"I'm not worthy of it in her eyes, and I get that. This project seems to be her baby, oddly enough."_

_"She was curious as to why I would have you pilot the mission, but I told her that you were the best person I knew for the job and it was even a miracle that you found us in the first place."_ Cooper chuckled, looking back at Professor Brand.

_"I don't think Amelia really believes in miracles, sir."_ Cooper pulled a chair away from the wall and sat in it.

_"She will one day, Cooper, don't worry."_ Professor Brand saw Cooper's eyebrow twitch.

_"Then how does she believe in them or they or whatever we're calling them?"_ He was getting more confusing by the moment. _"That doesn't make much sense."_

_"Because she knows that wormholes don't just exist on their own; that's how she believes in them."_ Cooper thought about that and decided that wasn't enough for him but yet it answered so many of his questions.

* * *

"Awfully windy today," Cooper muttered as he and Amelia stood on the porch. "Snow's gonna come in, that is if it snows here."

"How do you know? Did TARS say something?" she asked, causing him to smile.

"I farmed in the northern-midwest of the United States, Amelia - I know when it's gonna snow." Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, smartass," she smiled, "but you better hope that it doesn't snow too much. You do want to go look at the incubator tomorrow, don't you?"

"Of course I do." They gently smiled at each other. "I want to look at our baby."

"It's not really a baby yet," she reminded him, causing him to shake his head.

"Such a cynic, aren't you, Brand?" Amelia looked at him again, smiling.

"Well it's not. It's not even visible to the naked eye right now."

"Don't look at everything as a specimen." Cooper tried to make it sound light without having he statement lose its meaning.

"No promises," she said as they walked back into the house. "I don't want it to snow. It just makes it difficult to get anywhere or to do anything." Amelia was walking into her lab to look through sample profiles on her tablet. "And just as I suspected, this dirt's going to take a long time to dry up if we get a big snow, or any snow for that matter. It's still not bounced back from that rain. It's too cold."

"Jesus," Cooper whispered from behind her. "Your little friend is going to be so happy about this."

"My little frien- oh, Hart. Yeah, thrilled." Amelia put down the tablet and leaned onto the desk in front of her.

Cooper watched as Amelia stood up straight, stretching her arms. "She's probably scared of you now."

"Doubt it. People like that don't accept defeat." And for that reason, Amelia feared Hart.

* * *

Cooper and Amelia stood in front of the incubator. "That's her?" he asked.

"I suppose so," Amelia whispered, her hand gently pressed to the glass. "She's ours." Amelia felt a tear escape her right eye. Cooper wrapped an arm around her. "Can you believe it?"

"Not really," he said with a smile.

"I never knew I had this many tears stored up in my body, that's for sure," Amelia replied as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She looked back through the glass - a disgusting sight if you didn't know what was in there, and even then it wasn't for the weak. Tons of fabricated human tissue wasn't the prettiest thing, but it was what was necessary. "Do we have to leave?"

"And I thought you'd be having to pull me out of here," Cooper laughed. "There's another snow coming and we need to get home."

"Alright." Amelia put her hand back on the glass, desperately wanting to say something into the glass but not wanting to look crazy. "In a few months, when she starts to recognize voices," she said to herself.

"What?" she heard Cooper behind her.

"We're going to have to start coming in more often in a few months to talk to her so she'll recognize our voices." He smiled as they began to walk away. "We already won't have that physical connection, but if she can hear us, it'll make it easier by the time the birth rolls around. Easier on her, that is."

"Oh, yeah," Cooper replied as they left the incubation room. "That's important."

"Well, what did you guys think?" asked one of the techs.

Amelia smiled and gently shook her head. "It's amazing."

"Really is," Cooper said as he looked down at her.

"I thought I heard you two." _Christ_, Amelia thought. "What brings you both here?"

"Well, Dr. Hart, we've come to check in on something." Cooper watched with amusement as Amelia had a stare off with Hart.

"At the incubation clinic?" Hart asked, still staring at Amelia.

"Yep." Amelia smiled down at her, her shoes giving her extra height.

"Are you two...?" Cooper nodded.

"We're having a baby," he replied. "Just started the incubation process a week ago." Hart seemed to be very interested.

"Congratulations, you two!" Amelia was shocked by how genuine her tone seemed.

"We're excited," Amelia stated, holding Cooper's hand. "Now if you'd excuse us, we need to be on our way. There's another snow front coming through." Amelia tugged Cooper away who gladly followed her lead.

"You really don't need to be jealous," Cooper whispered happily. "It's hot, though."

"I'm not jealous, I just don't trust her."

* * *

"So you had a good time today?" he asked, looking over Amelia's shoulder to the window, the snow falling again.

"Yeah, it was great." She smiled to herself, thinking about going back soon. "You?"

"It was amazing. It's neat to think that's ours, you know?" Amelia shook her head in agreement.

"What do you think our chances of leaving the house tomorrow?" Cooper chuckled at her question.

"Eh, nonexistent," he admitted. "We'll have around five inches by the afternoon tomorrow if these keeps up."

"Really?" she asked.

"You hopin' for a snow day off from school, Amelia?" He began to tickle her, causing her to laugh and jump. "It's been so long since we've done this!"

"Thank... ha! Thank God you... we haven't! Ah!" She playfully tried to fight him off. "Cooper!"

"Am-eeel-lia!" he exaggerated, enjoying the contest.

Her breathing had become ragged, the tingling sensation of his fingers leaving their mark wherever they moved to. "Coo-Cooper!" He stopped, watching her chest rise and fall rapidly. "Uh, thank you."

"I forgot how ticklish you are." Cooper stated as she began to calm down.

"No clue," Amelia breathed, beginning to laugh.

"I'm gonna need to remember that." She rolled her eyes, settling back into the bed.

"Yeah, I'll remember it, too," she replied, facing away from him like before; Amelia tapped her beside table light, turning it off. "I don't think I'm going to enjoy this snow, I don't like having to stay in the house."

"You like staying busy. Brand, you're forgetting that I'm a lot to take care of. No way you'll get bored." She had seemed to lighten up since she'd told him she was on board with the idea of a baby. Now they just had to wait nine months.

"I'm not forgetting, trust me. I know you're a lot to handle." Her remark made Cooper to smile.

"Goodnight, Amelia."

* * *

"NO! NO!"

"Amelia! Amelia! Wake up! It's okay!" she heard, being rattled from her sleep.

She sat up, looking over at Cooper, concern all over his face.

"You were yelling." Amelia put her hand to her forehead, feeling the sweat.

"It was that dream again," she admitted honestly, turning to Cooper. "It's been so long since I've had that dream."

"We're right here, together," he said, laying back down, bringing her with him. "I guess it's good that it's been a while since you've had that dream."

"Yeah," she replied, her hand snaking across his chest. "I haven't had that dream in months." She listened to his heartbeat.

He knew that she would never stop having that dream, just like he'd never stop dreaming about the crash. "That's good, though. These dreams are never going to leave us, Amelia."

"They're like the friends who have overstayed their welcome hours after the party ended," she said, smiling.

He chuckled, causing her to lift up and look at him. She kissed him hard, her right hand cradling his head. "Went from a bad dream to that? Alright." He kissed her back, and she giggled into the kiss. She felt herself being pushed over onto her back.

"God, you're controlling," she whispered as she broke the kiss.

"I'm a pilot, Amelia, remember?" she laughed again, pulling him down for another kiss.

* * *

**1 day before Cooper's arrival on the planet**

She'd thought about keeping a journal, but what was the point? Was it worth starting up Plan B? There was no glory in being the last human alive.

She thought about Wolf, buried outside. _"Everyone's dead,"_ she whispered softly, too drained to cry.

_**He should be here with me,**_ she thought._ "Had to jump to your death. Well, you didn't have to."_ Had it been her imagination or had she felt something between them just before he... left?**_ Nah, just my imagination trying to be kind; trying to give me some good memories._**

She'd thought about going into the pod and not setting a wake up date, but that was too much like Dr. Mann, and she wasn't going to be him. **_No one will be coming here to wake me up, anyway._**

_**I guess your wish is coming true, dad. I have to start up Plan B, you piece of shit.**_

Loneliness was Amelia's speciality, and she was about to perfect it as far as she was concerned.

* * *

Cooper handed Amelia the mug of coffee as they stood at the window. "You're right. There will be a foot before we know it," Amelia said, breathing in the coffee's yummy smell.

"What'd I tell you?" He watched the snow fall in large and small flakes. "It's amazing how much this place is like Earth."

Amelia breathed onto the window and drew a smiley face in the steam.

"Amelia!" Cooper said, immediately copying her. "I forgot how much fun this is."

"Imagine if we had neighbors! What would they think?" They continued drawing.

"Glad to know that CASE and I live with two mature adults." They both turned around to see TARS in the kitchen with them. "What?"

They said nothing, instead both silently acknowledged that they kept getting interrupted one way or the other by their robot 'friends'. "We need to do something 'bout that."

"At least they haven't started to come upstairs," she whispered, getting another laugh out of Cooper.

"Don't give 'em any ideas," he whispered back, walking away from the window. "Maybe if I threaten to lock them in the unit again."

"Cooper, that's terrible!" He chuckled as Amelia walked toward the table, grabbing her tablet.

"They're robots, Amelia." She didn't seem to pay attention as she began to skim through the news.

"Hart's apparently getting ready to create advisory boards for new legislation that was previously not needed. Wonder which one you'll get assigned to?" she asked without looking up from the tablet.

"How do you know I'll get assigned to one?" He'd turn it down if he got the offer, anyway.

"I think that's obvious," Amelia said with a hint of humor. Cooper smiled to himself as he sat down next to her.

"You worry too much." She nodded, knowing he was right.

"I know," she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know I do."

"You need to cut it out. It's not healthy." He watched as she continued to read.

"My brain creates things to worry about even when there isn't a thing that should be bothering me. I think that's just my nature." She tried to think back to a time in her life where she didn't have to worry and she couldn't remember one.

"I think that's part of our generation, Amelia. Always worrying about something. The blight came and ripped up our lives. We're used to fear." He didn't want to be used to it anymore.

* * *

_Dr. Brand, _

_We regret to inform you that M3031H did not take. It appears that the fertilized egg didn't attach to the artificial placenta as planned. This happens in humans regularly, but the pregnancy normally goes unnoticed considering how early into the gestation period this was. _

_If you would like, we can begin the process for N1107T as soon as possible. We understand if you want to take some time to think about it first. _

_Our sincerest apologies._

_Dr. Fred Tilly_

"You're kidding me," Amelia said aloud as she finished reading the message. "Cooper."

"What's wrong?" He saw the hurt on her face.

"The egg... it didn't... something happened." She now saw the hurt on his.

"It's gone?" Cooper asked. Amelia nodded, her face blank.

"The egg didn't take to the bag," she said, looking at him. "Cooper, I..."

"Don't you dare apologize for this. This is not your fault. No one could help this." She nodded again, getting up from the chair. "What do you want to do now?"

"They said we can start up the other egg whenever we want," Amelia calmly replied as Cooper walked closer.

Cooper rubbed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, sure. You okay with that?" He sat down in the chair next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled weakly. "This is what I want." She began to write a reply email, too busy to notice the painful look on his face.

_This would be so much simpler if she could-_ He stopped himself, knowing that this wasn't her fault. _She can't help this. She can't control it. This is our best bet._

He looked over at Amelia, her posture suddenly careless. _She's upset, too._ They'd already gone to check on the egg once just out of sheer excitement. Maybe if they hadn't gone for a visit they wouldn't feel so attached. _But you're supposed to feel attached to your child, no matter how early on it is._

He knew that Amelia was probably on the verge of another unnecessary apology. "Amelia." She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "We're gonna be alright."

"I know," she said, rereading her message.


	12. Chapter 12: Tussis

Excuse me while I grab the tissues... I watched Interstellar again today and I cried at the end, obviously.

Thank you for reading, and please review. Also,** please check out the other amazing stories in this fandom!**

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 12: Tussis

**Two weeks later**

"Dr. Tilly messaged me earlier and told me that everything appears to be okay. We can go for a visit when you feel ready," Amelia said as she walked into their bedroom. "I suppose that we were just lucky, but the five I helped with never had any complications."

"Maybe the technology's faulty," Cooper suggested from where he stood in their closet.

"Or the egg might have not been 100%. It happens." Amelia walked into the bathroom and began to brush her teeth.

They hadn't talked about it much. Cooper, as depressed as he was about the situation, knew that Amelia felt the same way, and that meant that she didn't regret it. He began turning down the bed, listening to Amelia brush her teeth. Something about the sound of it was funny to him.

Amelia was suddenly back in their room and they finished with the bed. She pulled her nightstand drawer open, grabbing her hand lotion. "I guess we won't be sleeping through the night much, will we?"

He chuckled, getting into the bed himself. "Do we ever sleep through the night now?" She walked into the closet to change into pajamas.

"You've got a point," she said lightly. "It'll just be little cries waking us up."

Cooper watched as Amelia walked back into the room and she got into the bed, her tablet in her hands. She looked incredibly sweet just sitting there, and something about her was picturesque.

_Come on, buddy, think,_ he told himself. _What's going on here?_ He watched her yawn, enjoying that ridiculous face she made every time. Amelia placed the tablet face down onto her nightstand as Cooper turned off his bedside table light, implicitly urging Amelia to do the same.

* * *

Amelia walked through the snow, her radio on her hip. She needed a moment or two to herself.

She had stopped going outside to cry over the loss of the first egg. It had almost broken her down, but knowing that this one was doing well was reassuring. She wondered if she should ask Cooper to write about it, just for them to keep and to remember. _Maybe later,_ she thought.

Their sun was trying to make an appearance from behind a cloud. "Hope," she whispered as a beam hit the ground. The wind picked up and Amelia felt it rush through her hair. She silently thanked Wolf for leading her here, although she had come to realize that she had been much more in love with him than he ever had been with her. _That's what happens with your first love when you aren't their first priority, perhaps._

Then there was Cooper. She smiled to herself just thinking about him. _He loves me just as much as I love him._ She felt a snowflake land on her cheek.

"You're going to get sick!" she heard from behind her.

"You can't get sick from the weather. Just germs." What germs were floating around here anyway? That was something interesting she'd have to start researching.

"It's as cold as... well, it's cold," he replied. She watched as he walked toward her.

Amelia's large lips were a beautiful sight against her pale skin. The light bouncing up off the snow made her look angelic. Cooper wished he had a camera with him right then so he could remember her like that forever. "And it's snowing now. Jesus, you tryin' to get stuck? Get in the house. C'mon."

She smiled and turned back around. "I'm not going to get stuck," she replied playfully. "I like to come out here and think, and it's pretty, too. Also, why did you follow me out here?"

"A little worried 'bout ya, Amelia, not gonna lie." He frowned, squinting as he looked forward at the sheets of snow.

"I was a little worried about me too there for a while, but I think I'm okay now. What about you? Are you okay?" She noticed he had a thermos with him. He opened it up and drank from it before talking.

"It's not easy, you know... this," he said pointing around with his free hand. "It's kind of like a good book, I guess; it's a challenge. You get to the end and realize it was worth it, and we aren't anywhere near the end here." Amelia smiled to herself, feeling the wind shoot through her hair again. Cooper liked how it looked as if her hair was standing up on its own as the wind took control. "This is just another page in another chapter, Brand. Got a whole lot more book to fill."

"See, you say it with such poetry and I'm all, 'yep, it's rough. Kind of sucks.'" Cooper laughed at her remark. She stuffed her gloved hands into her coat pockets.

"You're better at it than that," Cooper assured her, knowing she really didn't care. "The science hasn't gotten to you that much, has it?"

"I take offense to that," she joked, walking the two steps over to him. "I'm not that technical about everything."

"Really?" She beamed up at him. "Give me an example."

"I'll have to think about that." They both chuckled as they began to walk back toward the house.

* * *

The next morning Cooper sniffled through the house, still in his robe and pajamas. "Hey, Amelia, where did you put the teas?"

"Oh, no; you're sick, aren't you?" He nodded as she walked over to him and gently put the back of her right hand on his forehead. "You've got a fever but it's not terrible. Is your back aching? Eyes hot?"

"Yeah," he said weakly, closing his eyes.

"Okay, you go back upstairs and get in bed. I'll bring you some tea." She walked away and went back to the kitchen.

"Amelia, I can make tea. I'm not_ that_ sick." He felt a chill wash over him.

"Just let me do this. Go upstairs, get out two ibuprofen pills and I'll bring your tea and some water." Cooper did as instructed and walked back up the stairs.

"Two pills," he whispered to himself as he walked through their room and into the bathroom. He remembered that Amelia had everything organized in ABC order, so it would be easy to get what he needed. He opened up the medicine cabinet and found the bottle, grabbing two pills. Cooper tiredly walked out of the bathroom, put the pills down, and began turning the bed down, which was simple enough.

"Here's the tea," Amelia said cheerily as she walked into their room. "It's hot, so be careful. And here's the water." She put down the mug and glass on his bedside table. "Let me finish this."

"I can turn down the bed," he smiled, as he finished up. "You're doing enough." She rolled her eyes and walked into their bathroom.

"Don't take those pills just yet. I want to check your temperature." She opened up the medicine cabinet and looked for the thermometer, easily finding it. "I like having things organized."

"Really? I didn't know," he replied, getting giggle out of Amelia as she walked back into the room.

"These things haven't changed a bit," she muttered as she turned it on, handing it to him before walking back to the bathroom. Cooper put the thermometer under his tongue and gently climbed into the bed.

As if she was reading his mind, she told him she was getting him a cold washcloth for his head. She ran a washcloth under cold water and made sure that no water was dripping from it. The thermometer went off, and Cooper pulled it from his mouth. "One hundred point nine," he told her as she folded up the washcloth longways.

"Better than it could be," she replied as she handed him the pills and glass of water, watching as he quickly swallowed the medicine. "And here's the washcloth." He laid back onto the pillow stack and closed his eyes as he felt the pleasantly cool rag on his forehead.

"I've taken care of myself with temperatures like this before, you know." He felt the bed shift as she sat down next to him.

"Do you think I'd let you just take care of yourself while I could be helping?" Cooper shook his head gently. "Sit up a little bit so you can drink some of your tea. It'll make you feel better." She handed him the mug. "Besides, this is a whole lot easier than stitching you up from head to toe."

"You would've made a great doctor; I know you've got that title in front of your name but you know what I mean." She smiled at Cooper's remark.

"I doubt it, there aren't many people that I have patience with," she replied, laughing at her own pun.

"But you've got patience with me, huh?" He was an amazing flirt and he knew it. Smiling again, Amelia ran a hand through her hair.

"Just barely," she joked as she stood up. "You should nap."

"I'm not tired, though. Just stay here with me." Cooper pulled the covers down on Amelia's side, urging her to join him. "I can't imagine you're that busy right now, and I don't really want to sit here all by myself."

"Okay," she obliged, taking off her shoes. "Just so you don't get lonely." She got into the bed and sat her pillows up.

He smirked as she settled in. "Better," he said hoarsely. "See how nice things can be when you just relax?" Cooper turned to look at her, her lips in a smirk.

Amelia laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't want to get sick, too."

Cooper coughed into his palm as Amelia moved back to her spot. "What if I'm not contagious?"

"It's likely that you are, though. I'll message Pates later and ask if anyone back at headquarters has been sick." Amelia looked out the window, the snow still falling. "We've got at least a seven inches out there now."

"You remember the salt trucks?" Cooper remembered being in elementary school and watching the salt trucks go by, dreading seeing them because that meant that he still had to go to school.

"Of course. You're talking about a girl who used to get cabin fever after a day in the house," she explained, smiling at the memory of her childhood home.

"One day?" Cooper liked staying at home, and he guessed that Amelia had a different opinion on it now.

"One day. I needed to walk around, see people... it's just in my nature, or it was," Amelia replied. "Didn't have much of a choice once my mom was gone and dad moved us."

"Being here would have to break you of that." She nodded in agreement. "Heck, being at the old NASA headquarters would have to break you of that. Changing the subject, but Amelia," he paused to sneeze.

"Bless you," Amelia said, pulling tissues from a box that he hadn't even realized was there.

"Anyway, I was wondering if maybe when the snow melts you wanted to go lookin' for the coast. It's close, neither of us has seen it yet. Might be a fun day trip."

"I would love that."

* * *

"I'm starting up the fire if you want to come down," Amelia yelled up the stairs.

Cooper got up from the bed slowly and began to go downstairs.

"I'm making you some more tea," he heard from behind him. "The kettle's on the stove."

He watched as she walked toward him with her hands in her pockets. "Thanks for everything today," he breathed.

"You don't need to thank me. I want to take care of you. I'm not happy that you're sick but I like taking care of you." Cooper pulled her into a hug and Amelia let her arms wrap around him. Looking up at him, her eyes landing on his lips. "I want to kiss you so bad right now."

Cooper laughed and began to lightly massage her lower back. "I'll make it up to you when I'm no longer under," he paused, "the weather."

Amelia giggled in response. "Really now?" Cooper smiled.

"You're gonna get sick, too if you keep this up." The kettle whistled, bringing them both out of their 'haze'.

"Saved by the bell," she joked as she walked back into the kitchen.

Cooper slowly entered the sitting room, seeing the fire Amelia had started up. He took the blanket from the end of the couch and unfolded it before sitting down.

"Here's some more tea. It's caffeine free, by the way," she explained as she handed him the mug.

"I'm gonna need melatonin anyway; caffeine wouldn't be a good idea." Cooper felt his feet being lifted, the blanket tucked under them. "Well, thank you."

"You're up for more ibuprofen in an hour, so you're going to start chilling again soon," she replied, her hand still on his now-covered feet. "Is there anything you need right now? Tissues?"

"No, I'm good." Cooper smiled weakly as he watched her. She didn't seem to know what to do next. "You look bored."

"I'm not bored," Amelia said softly, putting her hands in her lap, "I just have nothing to do right now." Cooper chuckled and leaned forward. "But I guess it's the same thing. Once the snow's gone and it warms up again, I won't have a free moment." The plants would all need to be heavily analyzed. Suddenly, Amelia jumped - they had both heard the sound. "The shield's not up..."

Cooper watched her jump up from the sofa. "I forgot since we haven't gone out today."

"It's not your fault, it's mine," she said from the window, dusk about over. "Oh God, no." She put down the blinds

"We're in the house, we're safe," Cooper reminded her. "Just come back and sit here and talk to me. Distract yourself."

Amelia reluctantly walked back to the sofa, arms crossed. She settled into the couch, laying down, her chest against his side.

* * *

They were woken up by the howling early into the morning. "Fuck," Amelia said out loud, and she felt a hand land on her shoulder, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin.

"Come here," she heard Cooper whisper groggily. She silently scooted over to him and laid back down; she felt his left arm wrap around her, looping underneath her own.

"There we go," he said. "You're safe. Nothing to worry about." Amelia sighed, desperately wanting to drown out the noise from outside.

She put her arm on top of Cooper's, her fingers lacing to his. "I know that they can't get us, but I don't like them."

Amelia felt Cooper nod behind her. "You saved me from those things once, you know."

"I did what I had to do," she stated flatly, the idea of it causing her to unconsciously grasp his hands tighter.

Cooper lightly chuckled as he felt her grip his hands. "Just go back to sleep. I don't hear them anymore, and if they come back and I don't wake up, just wake me up anyway. I don't want you to be scared all by yourself, alright?"

"Okay." Her grip on his hands loosened and she closed her eyes, hoping that maybe she would go back to sleep.

* * *

Amelia woke up the next morning with Cooper's cold. "I don't like this," she whispered, laying back down, putting a damp cloth to her head.

"We both sound like we've been yelling at a football game for hours," Cooper replied with a smile.

"Great." Amelia sneezed into a tissue. "Make it stop."

"That's what the medicine is for, Amelia. I'm not a miracle worker." Amelia disagreed with that slightly, but kept her opinion to herself. "Hey, at least I can't get you sick now."

"Yeah, because I'm already there," she laughed as she looked straight up at the ceiling. She took the rag off of her forehead and rolled onto her stomach. "Much better."

Cooper thought back to that first night they spent together - she'd come into his room after a bad dream, stayed the night, and he woke up to find her on her stomach, with half of her body on him, as if she hadn't even realized he was there.

Amelia sighed as she felt Cooper's fingers slip under her shirt and begin to graze up and down her back. "Thank you," she said softly. "You're so good at that."

"It's not exactly rocket science." His reply caused Amelia to smile.

"Well, we have a fairly good knowledge of that, so if you say it's not rocket science, I believe you." She was happy to have this time with him, even if they did both feel miserable. Amelia enjoyed the silence, and she knew that if Cooper kept it up, she would be asleep in no time. "That doesn't take away from how amazing it feels."

"I've got an idea." Cooper sat up and expertly pulled his t-shirt off, turning around to lay on his stomach. "Might as well try this out," he said.

"Okay," Amelia whispered, her hand moving to his back. "Mutual back scratches, hm?"

"Why not?" He smiled at her weakly as he felt her nails run up his spine. "I should get you to do this more often. The nails make it."

"You're doing a pretty good job without the nails, by the way," she managed to get out with a slight giggle.

"I don't think long nails would be a good look on me, Dr. Brand." Amelia laughed again.

"They do get in the way a lot, and mine aren't even really that long... just obviously longer than yours." She settled down again, trying not to go to sleep. "Move a little higher if you can, please."

"Demanding, now, aren't we?" Amelia fake-huffed, and closed her eyes.

"No, I just think I'm going numb at my lumbar curve." Cooper moved his hand up. "Much better."

"That's my favorite part of your back, though," he said as he watched her.

"You have a favorite part of my back? Why?" It was a weird compliment, but she was sure there was a reason for it.

"I just do." _Okay_, she thought. _That's cute, I can live with it._

"I guess I just like how toned your back is, the whole thing," she replied embarrassingly, her face going red.

"Uh oh, there it is," Cooper observed, a grin appearing on his face.

"It's just the fever." Amelia knew he'd see right through that.

"You sure?" She felt his hand leave her back.

"Hey! What do you think you'r- ow!" She exaggerated her reaction as his hand lightly smacked her behind.

"Now that didn't hurt that bad," he responded, his hand still resting there.

"It didn't," Amelia whispered, reaching behind her and pick up his hand, moving it up to her back. "Back to my back scratch, though, please."

"As I said earlier, demanding, aren't we?" Amelia laughed again, burying her head under her pillow.


	13. Chapter 13: Aequora

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 13 - Aequora

As Amelia and Cooper began to recover, so did the weather. The snow was melting and the sun was out - a truly beautiful sight.

"You ready?" Cooper asked as Amelia got on the ATV behind him. "TARS, you strapped on there, buddy?"

"Secured, Cooper," TARS stated as he locked on behind Amelia.

"When are you going to let me have a turn at driving?" she asked, lacing her arms around him.

"When you decide that going fast is ok," he replied with a laugh. "You drive at a snail's pace."

"Well, sorry I like to be safe." Cooper started up the ATV and away they went.

"I'll tell you what, you can drive back. If you start going too slow, we immediately switch, deal?" Amelia agreed to the terms.

"I don't know how good it is for two control freaks t be together," Amelia joked, resting her head on his back. She felt him sit up straight, much like he did when he started to smile.

"Hell, I think we'll make it, don't you, TARS?" Still holding on to Cooper, Amelia turned around to look at TARS.

"Amelia gets CASE and me in the custody battle." Amelia laughed this time, putting her head back on Cooper's back.

"Love you too, man," Cooper responded with humor in his voice.

* * *

"I forgot how perfect the ocean is," Amelia whispered upon walking away from the ATV. "It's beautiful." The sun was just over the water, making the waves sparkle. After Miller's planet, she'd never look at a wave the same way again, but these waves were very tiny; obviously nothing like ones on Miller's.

"Yeah, livin' out in the middle of the country will do that to ya," Cooper replied. He stood five feet away, right beside her, his arms crossed, eyes squinted. "We're gonna see what's on the other side of this big ole pond someday."

"They've probably got drones over there now." Amelia began to walk along the shoreline, Cooper followed. "What if it's like the Amazon or something? Tons of volcanos? Actually, volcanos are likely," she said as she looked forward.

"I won't let 'em sacrifice ya to one, I promise." He made a clicking noise with his mouth, Amelia looking at him.

"I sure hope not!" She felt him grab her hand, and she smiled. "I think I lost my sacrificing value around 11 or 12 years ago, anyway. Maybe I'm safe."

"You're real funny, you know that? I like seeing you like this." Amelia continued to smile. "Yeah, that... that's a good smile."

"Keeping track of my facial expressions now?" _Knowing him, of course he has been._

* * *

"Press down on the gas just a bit more; you can do it." Amelia pushed her right foot forward a bit. "Okay, there we go. Just a little more."

"Cooper, we're not trying to race anyone," she reminded him, slowing down.

"We're going to race a clock, come on." _We've done that before and it didn't work out too well,_ Cooper thought. "Okay, bad example. I just don't like to drive slowly."

"Dr. Brand, I feel the safest I have ever felt on this vehicle," TARS stated.

"Thank you, TARS. Glad to know someone thinks that I'm a good driver." Amelia smirked to herself.

"Not saying you're a bad driver, you're certainly a safe driver, you just really seem to like to take your time with it." Amelia nodded.

"I just want to be cautious," she replied as the house came into sight. Cooper gave her waist a gentle squeeze, feeling her relax a little bit.

"Okay," he whispered, no hint of disappointment in his voice. Cooper saw that the sun was getting ready to set. "Hey, TARS, can you go ahead and turn on the shield?"

"On it, Coop," TARS replied.

Amelia stopped the ATV in front of the house, watching TARS jump off and head inside. "Hey," Cooper breathed, stepping from of the ATV first. He stood next to where she sat.

"Hey." They smiled at each other. "Why do I feel like you're about to pull some kind of sneaky move?"

"Maybe I am, Brand," he responded, watching her. "Maybe I am. Who knows?"

Amelia snickered and hopped off of the ATV. "Your ability to flirt never ceases to amaze me." Cooper followed her into the house.

"Where are you going?" he said as he caught up to her. "Are my tactics not working?" He was beaming now, amused by her reaction.

"Well, my driving didn't, did it?" Amelia winked before she walked up the stairs.

"Ouch," Cooper heard from behind him.

"TARS..."

* * *

Cooper heard the shower turn off and quietly walked up the stairs and into their room. He could hear her humming and she was likely putting her robe on over her towel, as usual. "Ah!" Amelia jumped in shock upon seeing Cooper right at the bathroom door. "What was that for?" He smirked, not speaking. Amelia went into the closet for pajamas and walked back into the room with a confused look on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Care to explain what happened down there?" Cooper asked, as she put the pajamas on the bed, watching as she walked closer to him.

"That's what happens when you make fun of my driving: you don't get what you want." Amelia smiled as Cooper shook his head slowly, still smirking.

"Oh, come on, Amelia," Cooper exclaimed, "we aren't in junior high."

"You think you can win me over after making fun of me by trying to seduce me? No, no," she said playfully, their eyes locking. "Not going to happen."

"I wasn't trying to win you over." Amelia walked closer, now so close that she could feel that energy that he carried with him everywhere.

"What? Is being cautious a turn on?" she questioned him, obviously joking. Cooper laughed, moving his right hand down her covered left arm.

"Maaaaaaaybeee," he drug out, watching her face the entire time.

"Yeah, uh huh," Amelia replied, biting her lip to keep from laughing. She wanted to look somewhat serious. "Sure."

"I guess your love of safety," Cooper stopped himself to keep from laughing as well, "your love for safety isn't really the turn on."

"Ah." She was being curt just to drive him crazy. "I see."

"Are you trying to play some kind of game with me? I like games." Amelia had to laugh then, and walked away from Cooper.

"Maybe," she mimicked. "I heard TARS's comment."

"Yeah, the damn robot made fun of your block." Cooper was smiling again as Amelia continued to laugh. "Not funny, Amelia."

* * *

**After the successful passage through the wormhole**

_"Cooper."_ He turned around to see Dr. Brand. _"Good job."_

_"Thanks, Brand."_ Cooper walked past her, headed to another cabin.

_"Wait,"_ she said, catching up to him. _"Thank you."_ He turned around, a little shocked. _"It could have been deadly, but you did that as if you'd been doing it your whole life."_

_"Just a little bit of luck,"_ he smiled, not sure if he should turn around yet or not.

_"That wasn't luck, that was skill,"_ she assured him. Amelia swallowed as she looked down at the floor. **_Maybe dad was right about his ability to pilot,_** she thought.

Cooper could tell that Dr. Brand was thinking about something else. _"Everything okay?"_ She quickly looked back up at him.

_"Yeah... yeah, good."_ Amelia walked past him and heard his footsteps behind her until she turned a corner. She silently walked toward the cabin with the fertilized eggs, wanting to check on their condition.** _Dad, I wish you were here_**, she thought to herself.**_ I can already tell that this is going to be more difficult that I imagined, but maybe the silver lining is that I might get to see Wolf again._**

_"Hey."_ Amelia looked up to see Cooper standing in the doorway._ "What's wrong?"_ Cooper asked, slowly coming closer.

_"Nothing,"_ she whispered, staring at the units that held all of the fertilized eggs.

_"You're sure?"_ Amelia shook her head 'no'.

_"We're..."_ she trailed, bringing a hand to her head. _"Cooper, I'm terrified, alright?"_

_"I think we all are,"_ Cooper admitted as he stopped his slow stride.

Amelia looked back at him. _"Do you think we'll make it back?"_

_"I do,"_ he said, the belief in his statement clear in his voice.

_"Thank you."_ He smiled gently and nodded.

_"Dr. Brand,"_ Cooper paused, looking at her one last time before going back to his pervious destination. _"Amelia... any time."_

* * *

They were able to make out a little bump in the bag. Cooper thought it looked disgusting but he guessed he'd just have to forget about that. "Is there any way we can have pictures sent to us regularly?" Cooper asked the same tech they had talked to before.

"Yes, of course Captain Cooper." He looked back at the tube, trying to imagine what their life was going to be like in just under eight months.

Cooper watched as Amelia placed her hand on the glass, as if she was trying to communicate with their child. "I wish the incubator was at home with us."

They walked out of the incubating room and took their lab jackets and gloves off. "We'd be a little too obsessed if it was in the house, let's be honest."

"You are probably right," Amelia replied, putting her gloves down on the counter.

"Are you tryin' to stick around or do you wanna head back home?" Cooper asked as he put his gloves down next to hers.

"I'll do whatever you want to do." He held open the door for her.

"I don't like being here and gettin' stared at. Let's go home." Amelia nodded in agreement.

They were quickly back outside and in the plane that would have them back home in five minutes.

Amelia put her head on Cooper's shoulder after they strapped in. "Why am I feeling so blank?"

"We have been through a lot to get here," Cooper admitted, "leaving is probably difficult considering what happened to us just around a month ago."

They heard the plane start up and quickly take off. "I suppose. I worry a lot about it happening again."

Cooper didn't respond.

* * *

"Gonna send the combines back to their hub," Cooper said has he looked over the fields from the porch, pushing a few things on his tablet. "Hey, TARS, notify me when they get there, okay?"

"Roger that, Cooper." Coop sat down in one of the rocking chairs, opening a bottle of beer by hitting the side of the cap on the porch railing.

"And get the shield up while you're at it. The sun's settin'." He brought the bottle to his lips, pushing back on the floorboards with his feet. He watched as TARS walked back into the house before looking back out over the fields. "How?" he whispered to himself before taking another drink.

Cooper looked out into the horizon, wondering the 'how' of many things. Was there even a reason to wonder about the 'hows' anymore? 'They' already knew what was happening, and 'They' had looked out for him before, maybe they'd always been looking out for him. "They know what's next," he whispered once more.

Maybe someone or something was watching over him, but they sure as hell hadn't protected him from heartache. He'd kept from telling Amelia that Murph's family had made it down to the planet, leaving their station. He wasn't sure that he could face them yet, and he didn't even know if they wanted to see him.

He turned around as he heard the screen door open, Amelia standing against the doorframe. "Are you just going to sit out here and stare at the sun?" He smirked, taking another sip.

"Thought I might," he replied as she came around and sat in the chair next to him. "It was nice out today."

"It was; thank you for the samples, by the way. You're getting good at collecting for me." Amelia looked into the sunset, too, appreciating it's beauty.

"It's not that hard to put some dirt in a plastic container, Amelia," Cooper said with a smile.

"But you did a good job, though." He looked over at her and took a moment to appreciate the fact that she was next to him right then. If it hadn't been for 'They', they wouldn't be here together. He knew that.

"What a compliment coming from you," he observed, watching as she turned and relaxed into her chair. He noticed that she looked more like the Amelia he'd first met. She'd gained some of her weight back; the weight she'd lost as a cause of her stress before he got here. She was still stressed to the max after he got there and it had taken around four months for her to relax... or relax at a normal level for her. She looked healthier. "Are you happy here?"

"You know I am. Why do you ask?" She was having a picturesque moment again, her pillowy lips and big brown eyes a beautiful sight.

"I just want you to be happy; I'm happy." She smiled back gently.

"There's no where else I'd rather be," Amelia reminded him. She turned forward in her seat. "It's really something here, isn't it?"

"Definitely." Cooper took another sip of the beer. "Want some?" he asked, offering up the bottle.

"Ew, no. Gross." He chuckled to himself before sitting the bottle down next to him. "You're getting a little stubble-y."

Cooper rubbed a hand over his chin. "I guess I am. You don't like it?" She laughed lightly as she put her feet in the chair, keeping her eyes on him.

"I just hate it when you leave it in the sink for me to find." His smirk changed into a smile.

* * *

"Pates says everything's looking on target, Amelia," Cooper said as he walked into the house. "Amelia?"

"In the kitchen!" She yelled from the back of the house. He briskly made his way to find her.

"Smells good in here." He looked around, ultimately seeing a cake sitting out in the island.

"I made a marbled red velvet cake. I haven't had one in years." Cooper sat down at the kitchen island, watching as she got more ingredients out of the fridge. "Now I just need to make the icing."

_She seems to be in a good mood today,_ Cooper thought. "Why haven't you baked this for me since we've been in this house?"

"Who says I made it for you?" They smirked at each other. "Okay, maybe I did, but you better leave a slice for me."

"Don't worry, I think I can share." He watched as Amelia began to work on the icing. "There's something about what you do back there in your lab that makes me think you must enjoy cooking."

"Actually, yeah. They're kind of similar. This is more like chemistry 101, though, if you wanted a comparison." She measured out all of the ingredients before pouring them in. "I'm going to make this icing then let it chill. The cake's still a little too hot to ice just yet." Cooper watched as she made the icing before covering it up and putting it in the fridge. "Now we wait."

* * *

"Is it okay if I refer to you as a domestic goddess?" Cooper asked as he put his plate in the dishwasher.

"No, and besides, I'm not really a domestic goddess. You do just as much as I do." She looked up at him and smiled. "You have a little icing right..." she grabbed a dishcloth, "there." She wiped it off of his upper lip. "If you'd shave this wouldn't happen."

He smiled back, too transfixed in her cuteness to reply immediately.

"Did you hear me?" she asked, moving back to putting up the cleaned beaters and bowls.

"I did," Cooper replied. "Get rid of the scruff, I got it."

Amelia turned the sink on and washed her hands. "Thank you."

"You really don't like it?" He watched as she methodically made sure she got every inch of her hands clean.

"It's good on day 2, after that it starts to look caveman-ish," she admitted with a bit of a giggle. "But day 2... I am all about day 2." She turned off the water and dried her hands.

"I knew you weren't totally against it," he said softly. "You are radiant today, not that you don't look radiant everyday." Amelia felt his hands snake around her waist from behind. "You just look extra cute."

She snickered lightly as she caved into him. "Are you sure this isn't just because I baked a cake?"

"No, it's not." She turned around in his arms and held him there, hugging him.

* * *

"Amelia, go to sleep." She didn't take her eyes off of her tablet. "The chlorophyl can wait."

"It's just so interesting," she replied as she continued reading. Cooper pulled the tablet from her hands and put it on his nightstand. "Oh my God..."

"If you don't go to sleep soon, you'll be exhausted all day tomorrow, then you'll be mad at yourself for not getting anything done. I know you," Cooper stated, noticing that Amelia had that angry blank look on her face.

"I'll get back at you for this," Amelia promised him, turning off her light and laying down.

"TARS will probably help ya. Y'all should start planning now." Cooper heard her try to stifle a laugh. "You love to make me look like an idiot in front of that damn robot, don't you?"

"Well, not an idiot... I just like his responses." Cooper smiled gently, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm going to have to lower his humor setting," he replied.


	14. Chapter 14: Recordabitur

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**

Chapter 14: Recordabitur

**One month later.**

"Look at these pictures, Cooper! She's getting so big!" Cooper rushed onto the porch, taking the tablet as Amelia handed it to him.

"Oh, wow. She is." He flipped through the pictures, smiling.

"You can even see her little toes!" Amelia pointed onto the screen. "And fingers!"

"Thank God we get these, right?" She nodded in agreement. "She's just movin' right along."

"She's perfect," Amelia whispered, taking the tablet back from him. "Absolutely perfect." She walked into the house quickly.

"What's wrong?" Cooper waited and saw her come back with a tissue in her hand.

"Sorry, I just... that got me," she chuckled, wiping her eyes as she held up the tablet. "That's our baby."

* * *

"Hart's on her way," Cooper exclaimed as he ran into the lab.

"How do you know?" Amelia asked hurriedly, pulling off her gloves and lab jacket.

"Pates, he sent me a message. A warning." Amelia huffed and walked into the kitchen.

"When will she be here?" Cooper raised up his hands as if he wasn't sure. "Great. I guess we wait."

* * *

"The dirt is showing promise, but we're going to need tons of fertilizer," Amelia said, flipping through the pages. "Cooper will take care of that."

"Well, what do you do?" Hart asked, and Amelia looked up, trying to remain calm.

"I'm analyzing with a microscope to make sure that everything is growing properly and has the right 'ingredients' to grow. I know I'm pretty pale, but I spend some time out there with Cooper." Cooper looked at Amelia and smiled gently - Hart noticed.

"I want to see more than just evidence on paper, Dr. Brand. I want to see physical proof." Cooper looked over at Hart, crossing his arms on the table.

"We would have more plants right now had it not been for the winter we had and our lack of fertilizer. We're gonna need that ASAP if you want a crop in a few months," Cooper said, "Look, we're doing what we can with what we've got out here. It's new territory for all of us." He felt Amelia gently tap her foot to his, as if she was saying 'good job.' "I'm not new to farming, though."

"Captain Cooper, please remember that Pates will start coming out here every ten days again now that the weather is back to normal, and Amelia, have your data ready." _Do you not see what I have laid out right in front of you? _"I've got to go - another meeting at headquarters." She walked out of the house quickly without a word.

"Buh-bye to you, too," Amelia said, rolling her eyes. "At least it's over."

"Yeah," Cooper replied as is he was exhausted. "I'd like more of a warning than 30 minutes."

"I think that's just how she operates, Cooper, not that I agree with it."

* * *

That night, the house was quiet until Amelia heard a big laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Amelia! We got a new animal! Check it out!" TARS rushed in behind Cooper, his screens displaying the new discovery.

"It looks like a rabbit," she replied, putting her pen down. "with a cat's tail." She smiled. "Cabbit."

"That sounds like cabbage," Cooper replied analyzing the screen.

"Well, 'rat' certainly isn't going to work." He smirked, still looking at TARS.

"You know that somethin' like that has to be here, though." He was probably right, but Amelia didn't want to think about that. "Maybe that's what these little 'cabbit' things catch." Cooper motioned to TARS that they were done. "We haven't even named the other animals and you already have this one named within a second?"

"That one was pretty easy to decipher, and I can't come up with anything better than for the other animals. You're the creative one; think." She picked up her pen and went back to flipping through pages of research. "This dirt is getting boring." Cooper watched as she put her hands to her face, huffing.

"You are exhausted," he analyzed, "and you can't do your best when you're tired, you know." She nodded, standing up from the table and putting her pen down.

"I'm so tired of reading about chlorophyl and dirt, Cooper. I need something else. I can't look at anymore dirt under a microscope." Cooper was able to see the tiredness on her face.

"You wanna do something fun?" he asked, not knowing how she would respond to his idea.

"Okay... what?" He smiled, biting his bottom lip.

"Do you want to go spend the night in the unit?" Cooper tried to read her reaction. "And we haven't been in there since we left," he reminded her. "So everything would still be the same, I imagine."

"I'll grab pajamas, you get out some sheets and blankets. I am not showering over there, though, so we should do that first. That was hellacious out there."

* * *

"Wow. Home sweet home, I guess?" Amelia said as they walked down the hall of the unit. "And look! Our little desks are still here!"

Cooper put down the sheets and blankets. "I forgot how tiny this place was." He walked over to his old desk and ran a hand across it. "I'm kind of spoiled in the desk category now."

"And my lab is so much better now, too. We have come a long way." She started to walk around, trying to remember where certain things had been placed.

"Literally and figuratively," he reminded her. "Oh, and TARS got the shield up, no worries."

"Good, I'd hate to relive that, too." Cooper walked over into his old room, a faint smile coming to his face.

"Come a long way for sure," he whispered, walking in, thinking back to that first night.

_He heard his door creak open, waking him up. **"Hey there."** He rolled over and there she was, her big, wide eyes popping out from behind the door._

_**"Hey to you, too,"** he replied groggily, rubbing his eyes with one hand. **"To what do I owe the honor?"** She walked out from behind the door, closing it._

_**"Nightmares,"** she whispered. **"I woke up in a sweat."** He sat up, and patted his hand down for her to sit next to him on the bed._

_"**That bad?"** She put her head in her hands, elbows on her thighs._

_**"I just miss home sometimes. We wouldn't have to be worrying about those guys if we were home,"** she breathed, referring to the beasts. He put a hand on her back, gently scratching up and down to soothe her. **"But, I mean, we'd be long dead by now if we had stayed, right? So what's the use?"**_

_He sighed, agreeing. **"I think about it all the time, and what we left, but,"** he paused, running his fingers over his lips, sealed in a tight line. **"But we did the right thing."** She looked up at him and weakly smiled._

_**"I hope so."** She leaned on him as he put an arm around her, both of them thinking about the lives they left behind. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. **"Is your offer still on the table?"**_

**"Always."**

He hadn't thought of that in a long time. He thought about that first kiss every so often but this was maybe an even bigger moment than that.

_**"Hey."** Amelia was looking right at him, still in the same position she was in when he had gone back to sleep._

_**"Hey,"** he responded, moving his right hand over to hold the hand that gripped his shirt. **"Sleep okay?"**_

_**"Yeah."** She sighed, turning her head to yawn into his shoulder, and as soon as she was finished, shifted her head back to where it had been. **"You?"**_

_**"Same,"** he replied, never taking his eyes off of her. She half smiled, pulling her hand out from under Cooper's, only to switch places, her fingers lacing over his knuckles. She hummed to herself, some tune he recognized but couldn't name. She nestled into him further._

_**"I like this,"** she admitted, her voice remained a whisper. Cooper still had his arm around her, spreading out his hand on her back._

_**"Me, too."** She nodded at his response, uncovering his hand to run her fingers over his forehead, back and forth. **"That feels nice,"** he stated quietly, closing his eyes, causing her to pull her hand back. **"Why'd you stop?"** Her fingers were back to his forehead, edging his hairline. **"There we go."** He opened his eyes again, watching her. **"You're quiet,"** he noticed, the hand on her back mimicking the actions of her fingers._

_**"What do you want me to say?"** she asked, confused, but still managing a smile._

_**"Nah, the silence is nice."** She swatted him in the head playfully, causing him to chuckle. **"Kidding!"** he exclaimed, taking hold of her hand, intertwining his fingers with her own. **"Kidding."**_

_**"Sure."** He couldn't get over her. He'd forgotten how a moment this simple could be this perfect, and hoped she was appreciating this time as much as he was._

_**"No nightmares?"** He waited for an answer, watching her reopen her still-drowsy eyes._

_**"None,"** she answered, staring at him._

_**"I'm glad,"** Cooper whispered, bringing the hand he held to rest closer to his heart. She could feel each soft beat, so smooth that the rhythm could have lulled her back to sleep._

_"**I don't want to get up,"** she said in a breath, exhaling. He smiled softly, watching her._

_**"Who said you had to?"** Amelia rolled her eyes and buried her head back into his shoulder. He laughed, his hand moving from her back to her hair, causing her to shift back to face him. **"That's better."**_

_She smiled gently, closing her eyes again. Cooper pulled her even closer to him, if that was possible, her face in the crook of his neck._

"Reminiscing?" Cooper heard Amelia ask him.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about," he paused, turning around, "when you walked on over here like I had suggested."

"A ploy to get me into your bed," Amelia laughed, walking in. "Well, not completely. You were trying to be nice."

"Don't think that I didn't want that, too," Cooper said, watching her turn around, her mouth wide open in shock. "Just bein' honest."

"And you didn't immediately get what you wanted, did you?" She was now only inches away from him. "Maybe I missed this place more than I thought." Amelia locked eyes with Cooper before leaving his room and walking over to hers.  
_**  
"Thanks for staying over here with me."** Amelia was thankful that he was there with her, finding it frightening to imagine her life without him again._

_**"No problem, sorry we haven't broken out Jenga or told ghost stories with a flashlight yet."** That got a laugh out of Amelia. They were more similar than they appeared on the surface._

_**"We haven't even played truth or dare. Damn, we really need to pick it up. This is getting to be a boring sleepover,"** she managed to get out in her laughter._

_**"Brand, you calling me boring?"** He knew that wasn't what she had meant at all, just testing her. "**Me boring? Really?"**_

_**"Here we go,"** she huffed, sitting up, looking down at him. Even in the dark, he was able to see her smile, and he reached up to cup her face._

_**"If you come back down here I can show you how not-boring I am."** She turned away from him, looking up. "**Brand, I can tell when you're blushing even in the dark."** He reached around finally finding her thigh under the covers, causing her to jolt. She began laughing again, his hand still on her. **"Jumpy, too. Good God, Amelia, we gotta lot of work to do!"** he exclaimed playfully, pulling her back down next to him._

_**"You are the worst,"** she said, enjoying the feeling of being somewhat surrounded by him._

_**"I can't be that bad or else you wouldn't want me in here."** His words were soft, trying to plan his next move, as he always did. He ran his fingers up and down her arm._

_**"Well, I do like having you here,"** she admitted, facing him. **"This is the one thing here that feels normal to me."**_

As happy as she was out of the unit, she had to admit that this was where her life began to take a turn to somewhere she never expected it to go. She hadn't expected Cooper to even be alive, let alone to fall in love with him.

"Bring the sheets in and we can start making the bed," she said, walking into her room.

Cooper followed behind her, picking up what he'd brought in. "It's only been around 2 and a half months since we were here. Why does it feel like it's been longer?"

"I feel the same way," Amelia replied, taking the bottom sheet from him, unfolding it. "If we end up liking it, we'll have to do this from time to time, while we still can." She stretched the sheet over the mattress with ease.

She took the top sheet from Cooper and began to unfold it, as well. "The pillows are in my backpack," he said, trying to help her. "I can get those together."

"Thank you," Amelia said as he left the room. She looked at the bed and weakly smiled to herself.

_Cooper still held her, letting her talk. **"I got here and thought that just maybe, maybe Wolf was alive, but he wasn't. And you weren't with me, and dad was dead, and I was alone!"**_

_**"I'm never leaving you alone like that again, you hear me?"** Cooper exclaimed, feeling Amelia nod.** "I'm not going anywhere."**_

_**"Please don't. Stay."** Cooper gently smiled at that statement, happy that she wanted him here just as badly as he wanted to be with her._

_**"Forever,"** he replied as he held her hand. She attempted to stop crying, her efforts finally working._

_**"Good,"** she said as she curled into him. **"I'd like that."**_

* * *

**After the first kiss**

Amelia walked into her room and quickly shut the door, and smiled to herself.

_But what if that wasn't what I thought it was?_ She suddenly began to second guess the situation - he couldn't feel that way about her, but she'd hoped that maybe... _This is Cooper we're talking about. He's just a flirt anyway and our situation got the best of us._

She stripped down and put on a big t-shirt, and quickly slid into bed. _Maybe, though; maybe he** does** like me._

"We'll just have to see," she whispered to herself. She pulled the covers up around her neck, thinking to herself how immature she felt in that moment. It was like getting her first kiss all over again. _I should not be freaking out over this, but why am I? He's kind of bad, but in a good way, that's why._ She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, unable to come up with anything.

_Okay, so do the math here, Amelia. He came back out here for you. He could have just stayed at the station, but he didn't - he came out here for you._ That made her smile again. _And he told you that he couldn't handle you ignoring him again, but maybe that's because you two are the only ones here._ She was restless.

_You've seen the way he looks at you! It's not normal._ Amelia felt a pang of guilt at remembering that Wolf was just outside. _He left out of choice, ultimately,_ she reminded herself. _He was noble, but he left because he had a dream to fulfill. He told you that humans were meant to move on - he told you without hesitation that he would move on if you left, and he never kissed you like that. The last time you kissed anyone like that was with Wes Yates in a supply closet and you were 16!_ She took a big breath before smiling again, thinking about Cooper._ He really knows what he's doing. God, and the way he stared at your mouth. _She giggled into her pillow.

Across the hall, Cooper was having trouble sleeping as well. _Was she into it?_ He smirked to himself._ She did pull me down for more._ He chuckled lightly as he stared at the ceiling. He had been waiting and waiting for the right moment to make his move and she unknowingly set it up for him.

He couldn't help but be pleased with himself for the reaction he'd gotten from her; it was as if electricity shot through her in that moment, and she didn't seem to be embarrassed by it like a lot of women would be._ And she called you a cocky charmer... that could be good or bad. She also acted like she'd known that for a long time._

_Look who we're talkin' about here, buddy: Brand, and she is nothing like anyone else you've ever met._ Amelia seemed like the kind of girl who could make glasses sexy. _Yeah, that's a good description of her. And she's kind of awkward in that cute way, like she knows it._ He felt like getting out of the bed and walking across the hall, seeing if she wanted to go for round two.

_Nope. You're not a teenager anymore, Coop. Act like an adult._ Was she up thinking about this, too? He hadn't stayed up late from just thinking about a girl since Jill. _Well you knew this one was special, too. _

* * *

"I didn't realize how small this bed is," Cooper said, lacing his left arm under Amelia's. "No wonder we always woke up on each other."

"Yeah, that's the reason for sure," she joked in return. "I think there was a little more to it than that, because I still wake up with half of my body of you anyway."

"That's just because I'm _irresistible_." He had said that confidently, but she knew he'd been playing around, too.

"Oh, so Cocky Charmer is back tonight, is he?" She heard him laugh.


	15. Chapter 15: Malum

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 15: Malum

Just like the multiple times before, Cooper woke up with half of Amelia on top of him, but he wondered if she had done that on purpose. Her face was right next to his, facing down as usual.

_We're definitely staying out here more often._ He felt her stir against him, moving her hand to his face. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She rolled over and stretched her arms. "I'm so tired."

"Go back to sleep. No rush today," he told her.

"But we're going to see the baby." _Oh shit!_ He'd forgotten. "We have time to sleep, though. No worries."

* * *

"Look at that," she whispered, pointing to the bag, how it had popped up more since the last time they were here. "Seven months. I don't know if I can wait that long."

Cooper laughed, standing beside her, looking in. "It'll go by pretty quick." He just hoped he would have more than 10 or 15 years with this one.

"I hope so," she replied innocently. "I've never wanted to hold anything so terribly in my life." She felt him put a hand on her shoulder.

After another thirty minutes of just staring into glass, Cooper and Amelia left for home. "We could stay here some, you know."

She shook her head. "Not now," she replied as they got into the small plane-like craft. "I like having you to myself."

Cooper smiled. "You've got me to yourself most of the time, anyway." They smirked at each other.

"I know. I just like being out there where we can walk wherever we want, do whatever we want... and no one is there to see it. It's just us." She strapped herself into her seat.

"It won't be just us for too terribly much longer." He thought about things that he used to do with Tom and Murph. When Tom was a toddler he used to put him on his shoulders on in the fields so he could see everything. Murph never seemed to care about that kind of thing.

"That's why I'm going to spend these seven months with you all to myself." He laughed at her remark. "You'll be too obsessed with her to even think about me."

"Now that's not true," he assured her, she smiled, "well it's not."

* * *

_She's definitely not a romantic._

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, grabbing his attention.

"I like to stare at you," he responded quickly, watching her smirk before looking back at her tablet.

"How do I not find that creepy?" Amelia said, not looking back up.

"Because you know it's a compliment." She laughed and put the tablet down. "It's also coming from me, Dr. Brand."

"I like when you call me Dr. Brand," she admitted as he held out his arm for her to scratch. "Combines back at their hub yet?"

"TARS sent for them to go back about an hour ago." He watched her long, elegant fingers glide up and down his arm.

"Shield's up?" He nodded. "Good. Just being safe."

"You know I've got it under control," Cooper explained, "The shield starts so far out that you can't hear the barking."

"I know, they're just scary. Those poor little cat-rabbit creatures are probably a light snack for those guys." Cooper chuckled at her concern.

"That's the food chain, Amelia." She huffed and quit scratching his arm.

"We've had this discussion before," she replied, looking into his eyes. "I know how the food chain works." She smiled gently, moving her fingers across his forehead, just how he liked. "I'm not completely blind to the ways of the world." Amelia smiled gently, continuing to move her fingers back and forth across his hairline. "I don't always feel strong," she admitted, watching him watch her, "but it's confusing to feel strong yet to need someone so terribly. I shouldn't feel that way... what man has ever said that to himself? It's something drilled into women as children, that you're not complete without a man by your side and that if you're too strong you'll scare them away, or that men like women who aren't as smart as them."

"I hope you know you don't need to dumb yourself down to please me. You're smarter than I am by far." She shook her head.

"With biology, okay, yeah I am, but there are so many things that you do that I couldn't be nearly as good at even if I devoted years to perfecting them." Amelia knew she could never pilot like he could, but that's what life was, watching others' skills and appreciating them, knowing that they appreciated yours. "We are different and that's why this works." Her hand moved to his cheek and she kissed him sweetly, quickly pulling away.

"We work," he whispered, kissing her again.

Breaking the kiss, Cooper leaned back, pulling Amelia down with him, her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she seemed content to stay there.

* * *

"Cooper, when the baby gets here, are you going to put us in the unit?" TARS asked, referring to himself and CASE. "If you do, know that won't be acceptable and I will retaliate." Cooper laughed.

"Okay, Hal, we get it," Cooper replied. "I'm not moving you into the unit, are you crazy? I've only locked you in there once."

"I know." Cooper and TARS walked along to the barn. "We've come a long way, Coop."

"That we have, Slick, that we have." Cooper looked up at the sky, admiring the warmth from the sun. "You like it here?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" TARS stated.

* * *

"Those trees are just springing up. That fertilizer really is something," Cooper said as he came into the house, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "We could have better, though."

"That doesn't sound chemical-y at all," Amelia replied, looking up from her stack of papers, "but, it's better than what was going on on Earth. I guess beggars can't be choosers."

He slipped off his jacket and put it into the closet. "I don't think heirloom seeds exist anymore, but hey... who are we to complain?"

She agreed. "We got more pictures today, by the way." Cooper rushed to find the tablet. "Kitchen island," Amelia directed him.

"This is so amazing," she heard him say. "She's just truckin' right along there." He put down the tablet and walked back toward the kitchen table where Amelia was, watching as she put her hand on her lower back. "What's wrong with your back?"

"It's just killing me. I don't know if it's because I was leaning over a microscope for an hour, but that's nothing new. I must have pulled a muscle somehow and just don't remember it, or I slept funny. I don't know." Cooper stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders. "God, that feels amazing."

"Muscle spasms at all, like before?" he asked, making her think back in time, not long after he'd arrived there.

"No muscle spasms, just pain. I can't describe it." She leaned forward, putting her head down on the table. "Maybe I should start using your desk to read all this stuff at."

"That's fine with me," he replied, still kneading her shoulders. "Come on, upstairs."

"Why?" Amelia asked him. She stood up, confused.

"'Cause I can't rub your back from here, and no back rub feels good when you're standing." She shrugged, agreeing, and followed him upstairs.

"Thank you so much." Amelia laid on the bed, face down, rolling up her shirt a bit. "Like, really dig in there, okay? This isn't a back scratch session."

"Will do." Cooper heard her sigh. "Anything on your mind?"

"For once, no," she laughed softly. "Thank God."

* * *

He woke up before her, as usual, dressed, and brushed his teeth. The sun woke him up every day, like a stereotypical farmer, but not Amelia, since she slept on her stomach, facing away from their windows.

Cooper decided to sit down on the bed next to her. She looked so peaceful, something that he was seeing on her more and more every day. She began to stir, and he knew she was waking up. "Good morning." She rolled over

"Do you know how nice it is to wake up like this? It's like something from a book," she said, cupping his face.

"You sayin' I'm Prince Charming, Brand?" She giggled, shaking her head.

"I'm not into fairytales, just good stories." Amelia sat up, eye to eye with him "I had a bad dream. Not a nightmare, but a bad dream," she said softly. "You were gone. I was here alone, again; back at the beginning."

"I wish you'd stop having these dreams. I know there's not much either of us can do about it, but I wish you didn't have to go through that." He knew that she probably dreamed about things like that more than she let on.

"But it wasn't real," she reminded him. "I know that these dreams that I have really bother you, but I talk about them. You don't talk about yours too much, Cooper. I hear you at night..."

"They're hard to explain. The crash, the black hole... it's all bizarre." She shook her head in disappointment.

"And you don't think I would try to understand the best that I could? You do that for me." Cooper wasn't sure how to explain it without sounding harsh.

"It would just be one more thing for you to worry about, and you're a worrier," he said, watching her face go blank.

"You worry, too. You just shield it from me, trying to protect me. Well, there are things that I want protection from, but this isn't one of them," Amelia replied, taking a large breath, exhaling loudly.

"Look, Amelia, I'm not tryin' to hurt your feelings." She got up on the other side of the bed.

"Too late."

* * *

He had never hurt her like this, not since outing her feelings for Wolf to Romily. He wanted her to trust him with her fears, but he didn't trust her too much with his own, it seemed. She could count on one hand how many times he had really told her what he feared and what he regretted, and she was sure that her fears and regrets were an open book to him._ He shouldn't feel the need to not be vulnerable around me. I could handle it._

Amelia got herself ready for the day and quickly went outside._ Good day for a walk,_ she thought,_ but not too far out._ She kept her radio on her hip, just in case Cooper had anything to say.

Wolf had looked at her that way: young and weak. Cooper just looked at her as weak. She could cry if she thought about it too much. Maybe those two were more similar than she had previously thought. _He's just going to try and make it up to you somehow and not really correct the problem._ She knew how he operated.

_How could someone so perfect be so flawed?_ she asked herself. Maybe that's what made him perfect to her: their similar journeys, their mutual respect for the other, the acknowledgement of their sacrifices. She didn't choose to love him, it kind of just happened.

"Amelia, come back to the house. I saw you leave." She tugged her radio from her hip.

"No," she replied. "You need to think about this."

"I think about it all the damn time." She huffed, stopping in her tracks.

"I'm not coming back to the house simply because you want me to." Amelia heard him sigh.

"I'll come out there if that's what you want. I can still see you. You haven't gotten too far," he said, his voice soft.

"No. Just give me a little space, please? I need to think." She had no idea how a statement like that could scare him.

"Alright."

* * *

"I am no one's damsel in distress," she said out loud as she walked back toward the house. You are a strong, independent person and sometimes you are vulnerable.

It was only midday and she knew that there was a lot of work to be done in the lab. "There's some rain coming toward us, Dr. Brand, Cooper," CASE said over the radio. She picked up her pace and was on the front porch in no time.

"Cooper, are you in the house?" she asked, the radio to her lips. She heard the echo coming from down the hall in his office. "I'm guessing that's a yes." She took off her boots and hung up her jacket before she walked toward his office.

"So you're back. How was your thinking time?" she heard as she opened the door. Amelia couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Cooper looked at her as she walked toward him. "Well?"

"It was okay," she replied, sitting in a chair in front of the desk. "I just needed to be alone."

"I hope that you're not mad at me," Cooper continued, trying to make her lock eyes with him any way that he could. "I can't handle you being angry or not talking to me. You know that." She looked up, finally making eye contact.

"It's not that I'm not talking to you, it's that you're not talking to me. Your lips are moving, but you're not telling me what's going on. You can't ask me to be an open book when you conceal so much of yourself. It's not fair and you know it." He watched as she prepared to continue. "And if you're scared of me judging you, I wouldn't. You should know that I wouldn't."

"I know that." She looked at him again, trying not to show the hurt on her face. "I'm sorry."

"Okay," she replied softly, reaching across the desk for his hand. "You are forgiven."

Cooper was happy to see a little smile appear on her face.

* * *

That night a plane landed two miles away from the house, at the edge of the forest.

"Release them here. According to their data this is where the creatures live." The crew, dressed in thick suits that completely encased them except for their eyes and mouth, released crates and crates of the beasts.

Looking out the window, watching the crew was a sight, and it brought a smile to her face as she watched the animals run toward the woods.

"Amelia won't know what hit her," Dr. Hart said.

* * *

**Above the Earth, Endurance Mission**

_"It's hard leaving everything. My kids, your father."_ Amelia looked back toward Cooper, taking her eyes off of the green and blue marble below them.

_"We're going to be spending a lot of time together..."_ she reminded him.

_"We should learn to talk."_ She put her eyes back on the Earth, wondering what her father was doing right at that moment.

_"And when not to,"_ Amelia stated, trying not to look him in the eyes. _"Just being honest."_

_"Maybe you don't need to be that honest,"_ Cooper replied; through every little interaction he was able to find out a little bit more about her. _"TARS, what's your honesty parameter?"_

_"Ninety-percent."_ Cooper seemed shocked.

_"Ninety? What kind of robot are you?"_ Amelia suddenly turned to look at Cooper again.

_"Absolute honesty isn't always the most diplomatic, or safe form of communication with emotional beings."_ Cooper noticed he had Amelia's attention again. He shrugged as he turned toward her.

_"Ninety-percent it is then, Dr. Brand,"_ he said with a smile, watching her try to suppress her own... unsuccessfully.


	16. Chapter 16: Ianua Clausa

Dear readers, hope you enjoy this chapter! It's about to get interesting as we wind down Part II, but don't worry, that means Part III is coming up! Please review or message me and tell me what you think is next, because I want to see if you're on track or not (no shame in not getting it right, because that just means I'm doing a good job at keeping you guessing!). Also, I really appreciate those reviews because they help me to find out what I can make better about this story.

Happy reading, readers!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 16: Ianua Clausa

She was pleasantly surprised when Cooper put the hammock on the porch. It made for a nice place to read or nap, and now that it was warmer, it was most certainly welcomed.

Cooper was always doing stuff around the house and in the barn now it seemed, with the baby's arrival only five months away. At first glance five months seemed like plenty of time, but they knew it would fly by._ I won't have time to do it then_, he'd remind her when she begged him to take a break.

He told her that he was 'tech-ing up' the barn even more so than what it had been when they'd moved there. Amelia still wasn't sure why you needed a barn if you didn't have animals to put in the stalls.

"Whatcha doin'?" she heard over the radio, picking it up and bringing it close to her lips.

"Just laying here in the hammock." She heard him laugh. "What?"

"I knew you'd enjoy that thing. I'm glad I put it there," he replied sweetly. "Wanna come see the improvements to the barn?"

"Sure, if I can get myself out of this." Amelia was serious - it was hard to get out of.

"Need my help?" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not that bad off yet, Cooper." She looked out toward the fields, admiring the green sea they created. She attempted to get out of the hammock, succeeding. "Okay, I did it."

"Come to the barn, please."

* * *

"That's really amazing. So you don't even have to direct the combines to a specific spot to drop off the corn? They can do it on their own?" Cooper nodded, showing her the program on his tablet.

"And I can keep up with everything right here," he explained as he pointed to the screen. "TARS doesn't even have to send the combines back anymore. They're on a timer to leave the barn and to come back." Cooper folded the top onto the tablet. "This is going to save me so much time!" He sounded excited and Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.

"Well I'm glad you're excited." He smiled at her response. "What about the robots that are supposed to get the stuff off the fruit trees?"

"The stuff?" Cooper mocked. "I'll start to program those guys tomorrow. Shouldn't take but a week." He took his hand to his forehead, wiping away the sweat, and Amelia noticed.

"Let's get you some water and then you can get your shower. Dinner will be nearly ready by the time you're out," suggested Amelia.

"Yes, ma'am." He knew she hated being addressed like that, so he added a smirk to the end.

"I'm trying to help you. Now come on," she said as she grabbed his hand and drug him out of the barn.

Within five minutes they were back in the house. "Here." Amelia handed him a glass of water, watching as he leaned against the island.

"Thanks," he replied as he took the glass.

"I don't want you to wear yourself out." She was concerned about how much stress he put on himself, naturally.

"Hey, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," he said as he finished off the water in his glass. "I'm gone. Be back in fifteen."

She watched as he left the kitchen as she opened the fridge, grabbing everything she'd already cut up. "Where's the robot that cooks everything and then cleans up?" she whispered to herself. "And we think we're advanced..."

* * *

"Shields up, TARS." TARS replied that it was 'secure'. "Wanna go on a walk?" Amelia nodded and followed him out the door.

"When it got hot out here, it got hot quick, didn't it?" she asked as he led the way. "I'd be covered in sweat if I stayed out here all day like you."

"You of all people can't be scared of a little sweat." He suddenly remembered the way she would come into the unit after a long day, dried sweat covering her, giving her skin this iridescent look that anyone else would have had trouble pulling off. But not Amelia. No, it fit her somehow.

"I'm not scared of sweat," she replied, playfully tapping him on the arm. "You think I'm scared of a little sweat? I'm not that dainty."

"You're dainty to me." He suddenly realized that his statement needed a followup. "I like that."

"Yeah, right." She looked up into the sky at all the stars. "I'm weak, I get it."

"You're not weak, but I mean, you're delicate, feminine. Don't go giving me an 'equality' speech, because that's got nothing to do with this. It's just who you are. Doesn't mean you're any less strong." Amelia could tell he meant that just by the way he'd said it. Kind of smooth and mellow, like when he would tell her stories about Tom and Murph, or when he'd try to calm her down from a bad dream.

She took his hand in hers. "That was very sweet... I love you."

"I love you." She looked cute in her sweatshirt jacket, one hand in a front pocket, her other hand still holding his. "Your face got a lil tan today."

Amelia immediately whipped her left hand from her jacket pocket, bringing it to her face to check for heat. "Am I burned at all?" He shook his head 'no'.

"You used to be a little tan when it was just us, then you started spendin' more time inside once we moved and got pale again, like when I met you." She smiled softly.

"So you have a preference?" she asked him.

Cooper chuckled lightly. "Not really. I like both."

Amelia looked up at the sky again. "Isn't it just unbelievable to look up at all of these stars and know that not a single one of them is Earth's sun? We are that far away." Cooper squeezed her hand gently.

"And alive." Looking over toward the barn, Cooper noticed he had left the lights on. "C'mon, I gotta turn 'em off."

* * *

Amelia didn't find the concrete-like substance that covered the barn floors the least bit attractive, but she had to remind herself that it was only a barn. "Can't you turn the lights off from wherever? Just tell TARS or CASE to?"

"I could but I like coming in here," he told her. "It's nice and you should like it too since everything in here is so well organized."

"Thanks to robots," Amelia retorted, watching Cooper head over into the corner. Suddenly the lights were out, causing her to emit a small scream. "Dammit, Cooper. What was that for?" She heard him chuckle. "Now I just feel like someone's going to sneak up and kill me."

"Oh, now calm down. Have a little fun, Amelia." She could tell he was getting closer.

"This isn't fun. I can't see. How are you even walking around?" She thought about maybe walking toward where she thought he was. "I swear, Cooper, I-" She felt his hands grab hers, balled up into fists.

"Relax, I'll get us out of here. The lights are all the way on the other side." He heard her huff.

"You could have warned me." She pulled her hands away from him, straightening out her fingers. "Good God."

Cooper laughed again, shocking Amelia once more as he pulled her to him. "Are you scared of the dark or somethin'?"

"Well, I don't particularly enjoy it when we're outside with no source of light whatsoever," she explained.

"A little fear never hurt nobody." Cooper felt her slender form beneath the baggy jacket. "Loosen up."

"I'm not loosening up! I think I'm justified in my feelings right now." He could hear a hint of humor in her voice.

"Justified?" She put her arms around his neck.

"Mm hmm." Cooper chuckled again as he broke awake from her, and walked toward the double barn doors, opening it.

"The way out." Amelia came over to him. "I want you to look at that." He pointed toward the skyline, their house in front of it.

"It's beautiful," she whispered as she stood beside him.

They began walking back toward the house, not saying a word to each other, appreciating their surroundings. Amelia suddenly wrapped her arms around him, tightly.

"Did you hear that?" The barking - they heard it again.

Her hold loosened, and Cooper put a hand on her back. "Yeah. Come on, we're really close to the house, and from the sounds of it, they're about half a mile out."

* * *

"But I heard you - I heard you tell TARS to put the shield up." He nodded, looking at TARS's screen.

"I did put the shield up, didn't I? TARS?" TARS walked toward them.

"You did. I've got a record of every time the shield has been put up, and you told me to turn on the shield about an hour ago." Amelia paced the sitting room floor.

"So our protection from the beasts is nonexistent. Great." She began to bite her nails, a nervous habit.

"I'll try and fix this tomorrow. Must be some kind of glitch. Not with you, TARS." Cooper turned around to look at him.

"No, because I'm perfect."

* * *

**Six days before the launch of the Endurance Mission**

_"Do you just sit in here all day when we aren't in a meeting or training?"_ Amelia jumped in her seat, turning around. _"Hey there."_

_"You could knock,"_ she reminded Cooper, not expressing her frustration to its fullest potential._ "Prep for Plan B." _Cooper tread over next to her, looking over her shoulder at the notes._ "Trying to finish up matches."_ He nodded and Amelia stood up from her seat.

_"Why not just pair the two things you need randomly?"_ he asked, watching as she tucked the papers away in a file cabinet.

_"Doing matches on the remaining samples means we get the healthiest embryos,"_ Amelia stated, shutting the drawer.

_"That makes sense I guess,"_ Cooper replied. Amelia leaned against the cabinet. _"Wouldn't want to combine DNA that sperm and egg both have big histories of colon cancer or whatnot."_

_"Exactly."_ Was she actually being tolerable right now? Not that she wasn't tolerable herself, she just didn't tolerate him most of the time, it seemed.

_"You know it's midnight, right?"_ Her eyes got big, shocked at how late it was.

_"Shit,"_ she exclaimed, tossing off her lab jacket and hanging it up as she walked past him. Cooper decided to follow her out of the room._ "Where are you going?"_

_"We live across the hall from each other. I knew you were still in here because your door was wide open like it normally is during the day."_ **_Observant,_** she thought.

_"You came to tell me to go to bed?"_ Amelia chuckled as Cooper caught up to her.

_"You should know that this 'staying up late all the time' thing isn't good for your immune system."_ Cooper watched as she smiled gently. _"Gotta be healthy to go out there."_

_"I suppose you're right,"_ she said, pressing the elevator 'down' button.

_"You aren't talkative at all, are you?"_ The elevator doors opened and they walked in. _"Don't take offense to that."_ Coop pressed the button for their floor.

Amelia smirked, shaking her head. _"There's not much to say."_ This elevator ride seemed to be taking forever.

_"That's the point of conversation, Dr. Brand: findin' something to say then going with it."_ Finally, the doors opened. _"After you."_

_"Thank you."_ Amelia turned left toward the apartments.

_"She speaks!"_

* * *

"It is so cold in this house. What do you have the AC on, 60?" Amelia asked as she walked downstairs. "I'm freezing." She crossed her arms, trying to convey her discomfort.

"It's as hot as hell outside, Amelia." She rolled her eyes and went back upstairs. "Where are you going?"

"To get a sweater," she yelled down the stairs. Keeps it like an icebox in this house. She pulled a sweatshirt out of one of the dresser drawers and flung it on quickly.

"I just got in from workin', I'd like it to be a little cool right now," Cooper said from downstairs.

"Are you sure you two aren't married?" TARS questioned him.

"As close to without a ring, slick," he replied with a smirk. "You can't just stay up there."

"Hadn't planned on it!" Cooper could hear her moving around upstairs.

"I didn't realize you would react so strongly to me fiddlin' around with the thermostat." He heard her feet lightly hit the boards of the stairs.

"It's just very, very cold." Amelia sat down next to him on the couch and didn't curl into him as she usually would.

"Come on over." She obliged and snuggled into him, letting him hold her.

"I'm just freezing and you know I'm like a reptile anyway." Cooper lightly chuckled at what she'd said, rubbing her arm.

"I know." She closed her eyes, thinking that possibly she could take a nap. "Gettin' warmer?"

"A little." He grabbed a blanket from the other end of the couch, covering her in it. "How hot is it out there?"

"Not comfortable if you're doin' any work, I can tell you that. You'd have to slather up in SPF 100 or something." Cooper felt her shift to look up at him.

"Hey, that's wrong. It's SPF 75." He laughed again, watching her smile. She looked angelic there, her bright, brown eyes twinkling at him, it seemed. Was he just becoming more and more entranced by her during every second or was it something else? "How's the shield?"

"It's weird. It didn't look like anything was wrong with the program, but I think I fixed it." He knew she'd be happy to hear that. "I'm still interested to find out how that happened, though."

* * *

Cooper was still awake reading, unable to really concentrate. He smiled faintly to himself and put his tablet down on his nightstand, his light already out.

"What?" he heard. Amelia looked around for him, having just woken up.

"I didn't say anything." She shot him a questioning look. "I didn't."

"I could've heard you as plain as day. Must have been a dream, I just don't know what it was about." She sat up, adjusting her shirt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I think so." Amelia turned on her lamp. "I'm going to get a glass of water. Want anything?"

"No, I'm good." Cooper watched as she got up from the bed and left the room. She returned not a minute later, a glass of water in her hands.

"Why are you still up?" He looked over at her.

"I was reading the news. Seein' what's going on back there. And I got a message about joining that board of Hart's, which I declined, but I have to go for a meeting tomorrow. It shouldn't last long, according to the information." Amelia wondered what the meeting was about, but Coop didn't seem to know what, either. "What are the chances of me getting another cake soon?"

Amelia chuckled as she took a sip of the water. "Maybe there will be one here waiting on you when you get back."

* * *

He had just arrived at Hart's office after going to check on the baby, picking up the detailed medical records of the donors. Amelia was too curious for her own good, needing to know every detail of everything she could have knowledge of. It would be good to have these records though in case of future medical emergencies, God forbid. He had a tech go put them in the lander-plane, figuring they'd be a distraction at his meeting.

"I'd like for you to come take a look at our greenhouses' progress, Captain Cooper. Follow me." Cooper followed Hart down the long, grey industrial hallway.

"You got a good amount set up?" He hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans.

"We think so, but you're the expert," she said as she turned around, stopping. "Here we are." Hart opened the door, letting Cooper in first.

"Looks good to me. The starts look good from here." He walked toward one table, dipping his fingers into the dirt. "Where are you getting this soil? It's perfect."

"We're developing it here." Cooper watched her walk toward him. "I thought you'd be interested."

"I am. Amelia's been developing something but she's nowhere near done," he replied, not noticing that she was right up on him.

"I'm sure," Hart snarled. Cooper finally realized her close proximity.

"Look, now I don't know what your problem with Amelia is, but-" She cut Cooper off, coughing. "Let's try and be professional here."

"Cooper, I think we're beyond that, don't you?" He moved away when he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, come on, Cooper."

"What is your problem?" He looked her in the eye. "What have either of us done to you?"

"Her, everything. Her existence bothers me, but you... no, you've done nothing." She began to walk toward him again, and he started toward the door, unable to open it.

"The fuck?" he whispered to himself. "What did...?" He turned around as she came closer. "What do you want?"

"Control," she said flatly, cornering him.

"I think you've got control here." Cooper was starting to get nervous, wondering what she was trying to do.

"You're a powerful man, you know that, don't you? Yes, yes, you must know that." He swallowed as he watched her, a hand inching up his arm, and noticed a probe key attached to a rubber band around her wrist. "I'm powerful here, too."

"I've gathered that. If you knew me at all, you'd know that I don't give two shits." Her hand moved to his chest, his heart thudding in nervous fear.

"That's what makes you all the more appealing," Hart whispered, watching him. "How do you even stand being with such a calculated person?"

"And you're not? That's only a part of her, and that's all you are." She laughed, smiling up at him. "I love her."

He swallowed again, trying to make an exit plan as her hand moved lower, slowly. "I want control, Cooper. I like having power. You've got power. Imagine..."

Hart was attractive, but a psycho, and he had no desire whatsoever to be with anyone but Amelia. Why was Hart doing this?

Cooper shook his head. "You're making a mistake."


	17. Chapter 17: Abiit

Hey there, readers! I hope this chapter finds you in good spirits, or with good spirits - ghosts or drinks, whichever you prefer (I'll choose the latter).  
I love love love your reviews, so please keep sending them. They really help me out when it comes to direction. I write these chapters in advance (I almost always have the next three lined up to be published as soon as I publish one), but things can always change.

Things are getting interesting as I wrap up Part II and head into Part III.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 17 - Abiit

Cooper shook his head. "You're making a mistake."

"You know I'm not," Hart breathed onto his neck. He tried to back away, realizing there was no where to go as her fingertips were at the waist of his jeans.

"Stop this," he commanded, but it didn't seem to phase her. She knew she had him blocked, and she was having fun. Her other hand was on the wall, next to his face - the wrist with the rubber band. He knew what to do.

He covered the hand that was at his jeans. "Finally." She began kissing him, and he froze before remembering the goal. Snap the band.

Too distracted by what was going on, she never felt him grab her other hand. He laced his fingers under it, pulling hard enough for it to snap. "Ow!" She instinctively backed away as he put the probe into the lock, opening the door. "Get back here!" She ran after him down the hall. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Going home to Amelia, away from you." She chuckled angrily as she grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"What's waiting on you there with her?" He pulled his wrist away from her.

Cooper looked her in the eye, smirking. "Cake."

* * *

Amelia heard the screen door open from all the way back in her lab. "Hey! How was it?" She heard his footsteps, but he didn't respond. "Cooper?" He appeared at the open lab door, a harsh look on his face. "Are you okay?" She stood up, walking toward him. "What's wrong?"

Cooper grabbed her by the waist and his lips met hers in a flash, rough. She obliged, happily surprised at the turn of events, and with his lips still on her, he picked her up effortlessly. Amelia instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to walk, taking them out of her lab, down the hall and up the stairs.

* * *

"I think this is better than the first one, and I didn't know that it could get any better," Cooper said as he took another bite of the cake. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

Amelia giggled in contentment. "Well, I'm glad. It's not exactly easy to make." She suddenly remembered that she hadn't found out about his meeting. "How did it go today? You looked angry when you got home."

"Yeah, they've..." he trailed off, wondering what kind of lie to tell her. There was no way she could know what happened. Not that it was his fault, but he wasn't trying to get her locked up for murdering Hart. "They've been developing a soil on their own. It's good. Pates hasn't said anything about it, but knowing Hart, she's keeping him out of the loop, too."

"She likes to screw people over, doesn't she?" _Tell me about it,_ he thought.

"Seems to like having the ultimate say, full control." He put his fork down on the plate. "And she's great, the baby, that is."

"Thank you for getting those files. I'm just trying to prepare for the worst case scenario," Amelia replied as she sat down next to him before she took a bite of her cake. "Damn, this is good, isn't it?"

"You definitely know what you're doing." Cooper propped his head up on the table with his fist.

"Same goes for you," she whispered to him suggestively, smiling.

He smirked and shook his head, unable to take his eyes off of her. He didn't want to. "Since when were you the one with the innuendoes, Amelia?"

"I learned from the master." She picked up the now empty plate, got up and put it in the sink.

_So I'm the master at that? Good,_ he thought to himself. "You can't go stealing all my tricks, now." Amelia turned around from the sink, still smiling. "You're glowing."

"I think that's an after-sex glow, but thank you." He chuckled at her response as she walked back toward the table.

"No, this has been going on for a while," Cooper told her as she sat down.

"I'm not doing anything different," she explained, mirroring his position, propping her head up. "Same boring nighttime face routine."

He smiled gently as she brought her fingers to his forehead as she often did. "That feels good."

"Got anything else to do this afternoon?" He shook his head 'no'. "I don't know what to do. I had pretty much finished up my work when you came into my lab and abducted me, anyway."

"Abducted you?" Cooper laughed again, watching her smile. "I don't think it was an abduction."

"You pleasantly surprised me, I suppose." He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her fingers gliding over his skin, above his eyebrows.

"Just trying to keep the spark alive, Brand; just tryin' to keep it alive." Amelia moved her fingers out of the way, kissing him on the forehead.

"I thought you only had to work at that after you had children. Are you trying to give me some practice?" If every moment could be like this, life would be even more perfect than what it already was, she was positive.

"You're not going to have much of a problem because I am so spectacular." He watched her roll her eyes. She obviously knew that was a joke.

"So I won't be able to resist you no matter the circumstances, huh?" She bit her bottom lip, moving her hand away from him. "Try me."

"I just did not even twenty minutes ago." Amelia gently hit him in the head with her palm. "I deserved that, I guess."

* * *

Cooper sat in his office, trying to distract himself from thinking about what had happened at headquarters the day before. He couldn't tell Amelia, but he felt like maybe he should. But nothing really happened, and God knows that he didn't initiate it.

As it turned out, Amelia had been right the whole time - Hart was into him. This wasn't flattering at all to him, but instead a nuisance that would keep digging at his brain until he confessed to someone. Confessing to TARS might work, though Cooper knew that in the long run, it was probably better to tell no one. He's forget all about it eventually and they could go on living their lives.

He couldn't stop wondering what had motivated her. Hart kept mentioning 'power' to him, as if it was something that would make him leave what he had. If anything, it made him want to be with Amelia even more, if that was even humanly possible. Coming home to her frustrated and angry had proven to work out well for them, anyway.

Part of him knew that Amelia would find out, though. Should he just go ahead and tell her? The longer he waited the more upset she would probably be.

* * *

She was back in the hammock, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"You know, that thing can hold up to 400 pounds." Amelia sat up and saw Cooper.

"Is that an insult?" She was almost sure she knew what he meant.

"No, both of us and then some can fit in it." They smiled at each other and she scooted over to give him some room. "Nice sunset tonight," he observed as he climbed on.

"Isn't it?" She looked out at the corn, watching it sway in the wind.

They really needed to name her soon. "Have you been thinking about names?"

"Not really," he replied honestly. "I thought you'd have the ultimate say in that."

"We need to _agree_ on a name," she emphasized. "I've been leaning toward boy names, for some reason. I just think they're cute on girls."

"What names?" Cooper was curious as to what her ideas were.

"Kyle and Logan. Logan definitely is the most masculine, but I think it could work." He thought about that - Logan. He liked it.

"Logan. Logan... Logan Cooper." Amelia nodded, looking back at the sunset.

"Brand as a middle name, maybe." Cooper liked that, too. Simple enough of a name, but a cool one, nonetheless. "There needs to be something with my name in there. She's not just yours." He chuckled at that, as she curled into him. "I don't want to make that official yet, though."

"Four and a half months and she'll be here." After that, time would fly.

"I'm really nervous, but I think I'll manage," Amelia said, yawning after. "Have you noticed the state of your office lately?"

"I'm a busy man, Amelia," he replied as he watched her roll her eyes.

"I can't stand looking at it anymore. I hate to say this, to do this, but," she shook her head in frustration, "I'm going to have to clean it for you. You can't just leave papers all over the floor. There are probably some important ones just sitting around, and that office needs to be organized. I'm starting tomorrow."

"You really don't need to do that." He wasn't hiding anything - not in a room, at least.

"Oh yes I do! I bet you've even got a coffee cup or two in there that is halfway full." Cooper couldn't help but laugh at her probably correct assumption.

* * *

"Something is going on with the shields again. I can't figure it out. Everything is okay on CASE and TARS's end. I have TARS send out a signal to put 'em up, and then suddenly they're back down."

Amelia looked up from her tablet. "You have to be joking. How is that even possible?"

Cooper wasn't sure, but he had a theory. "I'm thinking that maybe it's the wiring. I know where the power source is, so I'm going to start there in the morning and walk the perimeter too see if anything has been dug up or damaged." She was handling this a lot better than he had anticipated. "I've been itching to program the smaller bots but I guess that'll have to wait."

"I'm going to need CASE tomorrow to move things in your office, so if you could only take TARS, that would be great." He nodded, agreeing. "Hopefully you can fix the problem tomorrow, if not, Pates can get some people on it."

"You sayin' I'm not capable of fixing a few wires, Brand?" Cooper loved to see her smile, especially when he was the one who caused it.

"No, I'm saying that I'd like to sleep, without the barking, the fear... you know." She flipped the cover onto her tablet. "That was one bonus to living underground, I guess. No unexpected noises. Sure, I could occasionally hear Romilly playing his music too loud, but that was about it. I didn't complain." Amelia ran a hand through her hair, tired. "I need to shower and go to bed. It's late, and I've got a big day tomorrow."

"Ditto."

* * *

"I can't have you dehydrated," Amelia said as she stuffed five water bottles in to his backpack.

"You're good at packing up a backpack, aren't you?" Cooper heard her zip the backpack shut.

"Is it too heavy?" she asked. "I'm serious. That wasn't a jab at your masculinity."

Cooper turned around and pulled her to him. "Thank you for your concern, but I swear I will be alright." She hugged him and then pulled away. "If you need anything, let me know. You really don't have to clean that room up. I can do it."

"I highly doubt that. Now go so you can finish before it gets too hot out, please." He nodded and walked out the door with TARS beside him. "CASE, are you ready to lift a few boxes?"

"It's dull work compared to what I'm used to, but I gladly welcome it." Amelia had always known that CASE and TARS were polar opposites, and she could only imagine the response TARS would have had to her question.

"Do you get bored, CASE? I can always give you other things to do." CASE walked toward her.

"Dr. Brand, as your robot, I have to do whatever you say." She walked toward the office, hearing CASE clonk behind her.

"Okay, we're going to start with the papers on the floor. The floor itself is surprisingly clean, but you would never know thanks to his mess," Amelia explained, moving toward his desk. "I was right! A coffee cup." She picked up the cup and put it on a table near the door. "I'll get that later."

She sat down on the floor near a big pile of papers, going through them, seeing which needed to be kept and thrown away. "Half of these are hand written," she observed, surprised. Little notes here and there, reminders of things to do. He had even taken the time to write down what she was doing on various days. She smiled and decided to keep those for herself.

"Dr. Brand, I've got a video message from headquarters coming in."

* * *

"Nothin's wrong with the source, so I guess we're going to have to walk a few miles, bud." Cooper looked at TARS - he viewed him as somewhat human, his reactions necessary for Cooper to communicate with him.

"I needed the exercise today, anyway, Coop. Gotta burn off those calories!" He laughed as TARS caught up with him.

"If we can't find anything wrong with the wiring, I have no idea what the problem could be. I thought maybe something knocked it out, but the shields couldn't go halfway up and then down if the power source had been stripped." TARS was just as curious as Cooper was.

"We could do a rock test, like when you set your own up." Cooper thought that sounded like a good idea.

"Let's do that if we can't find the source, then, if that doesn't work, I'm setting up a new one as fast as possible. Won't cover as big of an area as this one, but it'll give her some peace of mind." They continued to walk, Cooper looking for any disturbances along the line.

"Getting a video from headquarters for you, Coop." He paused and Cooper turned toward him as the video began to play.

* * *

"What? No!" Amelia pushed CASE away from her, backing up toward his desk, feeling herself bump against it. "That can't be true!"

* * *

Cooper stared at TARS's screens silently, trying to move away, but he couldn't. He'd been dealt much larger blows in his life, but this was still big. Cooper finally walked away from TARS and ran toward the house as fast as he could.

* * *

Amelia fell to the floor and gripped the fringe of the rug, her body emitting heaving sobs. 'Why' was the word that kept running through her mind. _How could two people be put into so many terrible situations in one lifetime?_ Amelia Brand wasn't even remotely spiritual, but she wondered if some higher power was punishing her for something, in turn, punishing Cooper - the last person who deserved this.

"Amelia?" She felt his hand on her back. "I know." Cooper stayed beside her as she cried, and she was too scared to look at him for fear he'd cry, too.

"She's... she's dead."

* * *

**If you absolutely hate this, I'm sorry, but this is where it had to go. Please message me if you're upset about it, because I would love to explain this if you have questions. I'll try my best to not give spoilers. Thank you! **


	18. Chapter 18: Parare

Hello, everyone. I am sorry for the delay. I have been busy applying to grad school and other programs and whatnot. I swear I'm working on this, too!

Also, I'm going to take a break in between Part II and Part III. I have an idea for another story that I have to get out and I think it will give me time to really process the storyline for Part III.

Hope this chapter finds you all in good spirits!

* * *

**Interstellar: Revivisco, Part II**  
Chapter 18 - Parare

_"The cord wrapped around her neck and it never seemed to trip our monitors until is was too late."_

Amelia never seemed to figuratively sew up a wound, letting the blood flow out instead of letting it turn into a scar to see in the mirror.

Cooper felt her body jolt as another sob hit her body. Without saying a word, he was down next to her, holding her to him, letting her cry there. This wasn't a time to say that it would be okay, because for her it would never be okay. How had this happened? It had happened to them twice. "Why?" she asked in a sob. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, lying there on top of the papers.

He knew that this was going to be a massive wound. "I don't know."

She clung to him tighter, her tears slowing. "I... I don't know what I did."

"You did nothing," he tried to reassure her. She put her forehead to the shoulder of his sweat-soaked shirt. He stayed there with her like that for an hour; he wanted her to be certain that she wasn't alone in this.

* * *

She hadn't left their bedroom in a day, staring out the window. Hopefully she could find the willpower sometime that day to walk down the stairs.

"You can't keep yourself locked up in here," she heard from behind her. Amelia didn't turn around. "You can't do this to yourself."

"Do you ever wonder how we are so fucking unlucky? I don't even believe in luck, but here we are." Amelia sat up and stared blankly at the wall. "And look at me. If my body could actually, you know... function, we wouldn't be here."

"Why do you blame yourself for everything?" Coop walked over and stood in front of her. "I don't know why this happened, but it did. You had nothing to do with that."

She looked him in the eyes, her stare still blank. "I'm getting punished for the things I've done. Doyle, causing you to lose a potential 23 years... I'm being punished for that."

"If you're getting punished for those things, then I'm getting punished for picking Mann's planet, and I don't think that's what's going on." Cooper pulled back the covers. "Come on, you're leaving this room. You have to eat. All you've done is shower and stay in the bed, and that's not going to make you feel better."

"Nothing can make me feel better," she whispered not seeming to notice that he'd pulled her blankets away.

"Amelia, I-" he stopped, sitting down next to her.

"How are you so strong?" Amelia asked, grabbing his hand. "I'd love to know your method, because I need it."

"We've seen a lot, lived a lot." He watched her hand move over his. "I guess I've learned that I've got a lot to be thankful for here and now."

"I'm thankful, I just," she paused as she pulled her hand away from his suddenly, "I was ready for her. I wanted her so bad. I still do." She started to cry.

"I know you were ready, I was, too." Amelia laid down, turning away from him.

"When is it going to stop hurting?" she asked in a whisper.

"When you wake up one morning and that's not the first thing on your mind." Amelia wanted the pain to be gone now, but there were only so many miracles that could happen in one person's lifetime, she supposed. She successfully stopped her tears.

"I'm not doing this again." Cooper nodded to himself. He knew it was coming, and he couldn't blame her for making that decision. He understood.

"Okay," he whispered as she turned over. He smiled gently at her to try and reassure her that he was fine with that decision.

"I'm sorry Cooper," Amelia said softly, looking up at him with swollen eyes.

"It's not your fault." She knew that.

"I think I'm going to try and eat. It'll probably make my body feel a little better." She stood up and stretched.

"Good idea," replied Cooper, watching her. "I'm going to go write a little bit, okay?" Amelia looked at him softly, a silent 'thank you'. "I love you," he whispered loud enough for her to hear.

"I love you."

* * *

**Amelia, age 12.**

John Brand looked at his daughter, just about to be a teenager. His wife had died only a month ago, and he knew it was time for them to move. A lot for a 12 year old to handle, but she wasn't just any 12 year old. "How many people get what mom had?"

"A number of different factors, Amelia. Your mother was around a lot of chemicals, which took a turn on her lungs." She knew that, she just needed to hear it every so often. "She took every precaution, but sometimes it just isn't enough."

"Good thing math can't give you cancer," she said seriously. She couldn't lose her dad, too. "I'm not going to be a chemist."

"You can do whatever you want to do. That's part of the human mind and free will." He watched as she seemed to be pondering something. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you think you'll ever figure out your problem?" They walked into his office; it was Amelia's favorite place in all of headquarters.

"I believe I will." She walked along the chalk boards, analyzing them even though she didn't understand anything written there.

"What about your classes? Are you still going to go up and teach those?" Amelia was concerned about her father's safety. If her mother could die from lung cancer caused by chemicals, she was sure the dust couldn't be that great for you, either. "I don't want you to get sick."

"Amelia, we're going to be okay, I swear." She began to cry and ran over to her father, hugging him.

* * *

_They should be arriving with the body any time now,_ Amelia thought. She didn't want to see her, but she did want to give her a proper burial. She couldn't ask him to dig a plot, but CASE and TARS could take care of that for them easily.

After, as they sat on the porch steps, Cooper held her to him as she cried. He couldn't help but tear up at what they had just witnessed, but he knew he had to be strong for her.

* * *

Cooper watched as Amelia gradually started to recover. There were still tears every day, but not a complete breakdown. He'd finally cried in front of her, to which she'd held him and told him they'd work through it together.

Her weight had dropped again, he'd noticed; too distracted and shaken up to eat. She had finally gotten back to her lab, spending more and more time in there analyzing whatever she could.

"Hey, Amelia?" Cooper asked over the radio. "How about you leave that lab of yours and watch a movie with me in a few minutes?"

She picked up her radio, holding it to her mouth. "What were you thinking?"

"Anything if it involves you doing something besides sitting at a microscope." She smiled and shook her head, laughing a little. "Take your mind off of things."

"Okay. If you insist," she replied. A few minutes later, she got up and took her lab jacket off. Hanging it in its usual spot, she walked down the hall and up the stairs. "Coop; you here?"

"Getting out of the shower." Amelia walked toward their room and sat on the bed. "Hey there."

"Hey," she whispered, looking him over. He'd thrown on basketball shorts and was taking a t-shirt off of a hanger. "You don't have to wear a shirt if you don't want to." He smirked and straightened up.

"You don't have to, either, you know." Amelia waved a hand in the air, as if to stop him.

"Pass. And besides, it's too cold in this house." Cooper chuckled and went ahead and put on a shirt.

"Your loss," he joked as he straightened out the shirt. "Get a lot done down there?"

"Not too much. Dinner made me a little sleepy," she said as Cooper sat down next to her.

"Too tired to watch a movie?" he asked, watching her shake her head 'no'. "Good. So we can have a little alone time."

"Alone time?" Amelia smiled, confused. "Every moment we have together is alone time if you think about it, save for CASE and TARS."

Cooper laid back on the bed, watching as Amelia turned around. "Yeah, but we're acknowledging that this is alone time, though. That makes it different."

"Oh it does?" she asked sarcastically as she propped herself up next to him. "Well, that changes everything, then."

They smiled gently at each other, like their own language. "You're right, it does."

"I'm going to change out of my clothes into PJs and brush my teeth." She got up from the bed, leaving him there.

* * *

"Are you actually going to stay awake during this movie? You fall asleep 75% of the time we do this!" Cooper exclaimed, laughing. Amelia swatted him away and put her head down on the pillow.

"What are you going to do if I fall asleep?" She laid back on the couch.

"I haven't decided yet," he said, "I'm still thinking on it."

"You haven't decided? You've got to have a better game plan than that." Cooper watched as she stretched, sighing as she did. Her eyes had looked hollow for the past week, no life behind them, but now that life was back.

"You can sleep if you want, but you're not sleeping on the couch," he said, Amelia smiling.

"I'll stay awake as long as I can, just pick out a movie. One I can tolerate." Coop chuckled and turned on the set.

* * *

Amelia woke up and felt herself being carried somewhere. "Cooper?"

"I knew you'd fall asleep on me," he whispered back. She thought she could make out a smile on him. "You're tired."

"I am," she said as he pulled back the covers and put her down. "A little rested, though, I guess I had a decent nap?"

"Forty five minutes, maybe." He covered her up.

"You're staying here with me, right?" Cooper nodded and Amelia closed her eyes. "Or are you going back to finish up the movie?"

"I'll stay here with ya." He waited on her reply, a soft smile appearing on her face.

"I don't want to be alone. Not right now." She opened her eyes again as Cooper got into the bed next to her. "I... I used to think about her a lot at night, how before we knew it, we'd be waking up to little cries over the monitor." Cooper was silent, watching as tears slid slowly down the side of her face. "She never even got to cry." Her voice didn't falter as she spoke. "Time was passing so fast, and I knew that before we knew it, she'd be here."

"I know," Cooper replied as Amelia turned onto her side to face him. "I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Hey, I agreed, remember? I didn't know I'd end up falling in love with her the way I did." She wiped a tear away.

"Kids'll do that to you, Amelia. Don't even know how bad you wanted them until they're here." She pursed her lips and stretched her arms.

"Or gone." Amelia suddenly realized the weight of her words. "Oh, Cooper. I'm sorry..."

"No, you're right. You don't know until it's too late sometimes." He felt her grab his hand from across the bed, her thumb gently moving across his knuckles. "I don't think I could ever love you any more than I do right now." He saw her blush for the first time in a week, which was welcomed. "You really have no idea."

* * *

"Dr. Brand, Cooper, something is approaching the atmosphere and appears to be headed this way. About fourteen hours out, perhaps," CASE said, walking into the kitchen.

"Probably a test drone, nothing to worry about," Cooper replied, brushing it off. "I suspect they're trying to get an aerial view to see what's on the other side of the ocean, or whatever it is. Surveying purposes, most likely."

"And here I was getting ready for the sacrifice ritual," TARS exclaimed; the light in the top left corner of his screens blinked. "Just in time."

"Who are you planning on sacrificing, TARS?" Amelia asked him. Cooper smirked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't think there's a question to that, Dr. Brand." She looked up at Cooper, who waved gently as if to say 'bingo'. She smiled, looking back at TARS.

"I'll let you know if he starts getting on my nerves, okay?" She heard Cooper make a noise of faked shock.

"You and two robots. That'll be a fun life." Cooper watched as Amelia put her head down on the table, on her stack of papers, laughing. She hadn't laughed like that in a while.

"Don't you have farm things to do?" He chuckled back as she lifted her head up from the table.

"Farm things? You really need to learn the lingo." Amelia rolled her eyes and propped her head up on her hand, her elbow on the table. "But yes, I do have 'farm things' to attend to." Cooper stood up and walked toward the door. "How long until you think you'l be finished up with your microbiology thing?"

He had said that just to irritate her, she was sure. She got it now. "Well, I'm finishing up the research on the chlorophyl, and then I'm onto moss. We'll have to go back into the woods, but I think I can manage, just not by myself, obviously." Amelia lifted up her tablet, looking through messages. "You know there's that event at headquarters tonight, right? Some kind of celebration for being mostly settled in. I think it might be fun, believe it or not."

"I don't know. We could run into all sorts of people, like relatives - you know how I feel about that - or Hart. Tolbert could also try and steal you." He had added a punch of humor to that last sentence. It was a joke between them that he hadn't used in a while. Amelia got up from her chair and walked over to where he stood near the door.

"I'll check and see if Pates and Hodge will be there, which I'm sure that they will be, and if we run into anyone we don't want to, we can easily leave. This also gives us the opportunity to use the plane that you've refused to try out. You are a pilot, remember?" He shook his head, smiling. It was going to be hard to turn down this one. "I'll go by myself if you aren't going to go."

There was no way he was letting her go by herself. Hart would likely pull her aside and tell her what had happened, but would lie about it, and he wouldn't be there to defend her or himself. He would go with her and at the first sight of Hart trying to start a conversation, they'd get out of there. "Okay."

"I'm going to message Pates. I'll radio you once I find out if they're going or not." Coop nodded and walked outside, TARS following.

"Nervous about what to wear?" TARS asked. Cooper huffed in disgruntlement.

"Oh, yeah, TARS. Should I wear the blue bow tie or the red one?" TARS chuckled back. "No, I just-" He suddenly realized that TARS had no idea about what happened at headquarters between him and Dr. Hart.

"You just what, Cooper?" TARS kept walking with him, for once, not suspecting a thing.

"I don't want to run into anybody that I don't want to run into." That wasn't a lie.

"Understandable."


End file.
